Africa-Press – Mozambique. Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi on Monday began a three-day state visit to neighbouring Malawi.
Speaking in the capital city Lilongwe, during a ceremony to launch the fifth annual Southern African Development Community (SADC) industrialisation week, Nyusi stressed that Mozambique will continue to be the strategic access link for the Malawian economy through the facilitation of the flow of people and goods between the two countries.
The President pointed out that this is being achieved through continuous improvements to the port systems of Nacala in the north of the country, Beira in the centre, and Maputo in the south. He revealed that during his visit he will discuss with his Malawian counterpart, Lazarus Chakwera, improvements in the cross-border flows.
Nyusi pointed out that Chakwera often calls him to enquire about the situation in the port of Beira because of concerns about the need for goods to move faster.
“This is why”, he said, “in my delegation, I am bringing railway experts, and we are going to discuss how to facilitate the flow of goods to Malawi, and from Malawi to Beira”.
He argued that, at a time when the SADC region and the world are recovering from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic which caused an economic recession on a global scale, it is essential to accelerate implementation of the regional industrialisation project.
The first strategy for regional industrialisation, he noted, includes developing synergies linked to value chains, transport corridors, energy, and human potential. It will also involve bringing down barriers at the border to strengthen the economic identity of SADC. According to Nyusi, the impact of this strategy will be amplified through changes to the trade balance as exports are increased and imports substituted.
The second strategy is based on developing technology, employing thousands of people, creating a market to absorb agricultural surpluses from the rural population with a particular focus on women, agro-processing and associated logistics, which, he said, ends up becoming a “powerful weapon” for the well-being of the population and combating poverty.
The SADC industrialisation week is an annual public-private platform to foster new opportunities for intra-African trade and investment. The theme for this year is “Bolstering Productive Capacities in the Face of Covid-19 Pandemic for Inclusive, Sustainable Economic and Industrial Transformation”.
Also on Monday, President Nyusi received the key to the city of Lilongwe in a ceremony at the Town Hall. In his acceptance speech, he said, “We accept this key to the city as a clear and unequivocal manifestation of the trust you place in me as President of the Republic of Mozambique”.
