Africa-Press – Mozambique. The Government of Cabo Delgado Province and MozParks Holding signed a Memorandum Of Understanding to promote the sustainable industrialisation and local content in Cabo Delgado province.
MozParks and the Cabo Delgado Government intend to develop Agro-Industrial parks around the province with a focus on 4 districts, such as Palma, Balama, Montepuez and Ancuabe. The government of Cabo Delgado aims to integrate rural households into the sustainable agriculture value chain by promoting the expansion of agro-industrial economic zones for agriculture and development of Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SME).
The agricultural industry in Mozambique is positioned as a national priority and provides the means of income to more than 70% of the population. However small holder farmers struggle to produce high quality and affordable products that meet proper food safety standards. A large amount of agro-produce ends up as waste.
MozParks and Cabo Delgado envisage increasing agricultural productivity and regional food security through developing and operating Agro-Industrial Parks. The parks will give endless opportunities for the SME development, create new jobs, accelerate skills transfer and bring up the local content. In turn this will increase the productivity of smallholder agriculture producers in the surrounding districts. The agro-Industrial parks will accommodate agriculture input suppliers, transport and handling services, processing and packaging companies, also storage and inspection facilities. These businesses will link smallholders to local, regional, and international agriculture value chains.
The Agro-Industrial Parks will include serviced properties, warehouse spaces, and SME units. The plans also include a food court, training centre, residential accommodation and many other infrastructures, such as water access, roads, electricity, IT and others.
MozParks will attract organisations to provide services that help agribusiness tenants to reach new markets and expand their businesses. This includes increased access to finance, sales and marketing support, and other services.
The governing administration of Cabo Delgado province is supporting MozParks vision which was officially acknowledged in the MOU which was signed today in Maputo by the Provincial Director of Industry and Commerce, Nocif Magaia, and the MozParks Chairman of the Board of the Directors, Adrian Frey.
The Governor of Cabo Delgado, Valige Tauabo, called this action “a giant step towards industrialisation” . He also noted that linking agricultural and mining production through Agro-Industrial parks and Special Economic Zones of MozParks will help the province to generate an ecosystem for the private sector to join mining megaprojects. Mr Tauabo highlighted the importance of Local Content development and creating opportunities for the local SMEs.
Mr Frey announced that MozParks is planning to develop the new Agro-Industrial Parks in Palma, Balama, Montepuez and Ancuabe districts within the next 5 years. “This development will be synchronised with the Youth Employment Programme called Mimi Niko Kazi (MNK) which is also administered by MozParks,” he added.
The MNK programme provides support to young professional talents, gives them practical employability skills and broadens their career perspectives. This project facilitates a successful transition from education to work by matching young qualified talents with employer demand.
About MozParks
MozParks is the leading developer and operator of industrial parks in Mozambique. It is a Public Private Partnership (PPP) between the Mozambican Government Agency for Investment and Export Promotion (APIEX) and private investors. We are the holding company for the Beluluane Industrial Park in Boane and the Topuito Industrial Park currently under development in Nampula.
MozParks invites entrepreneurs and investors to create and grow the agro-processing industry together. We offer our business, operational and legal network support to all our partners, small and medium enterprises. Together we can build sustainable food production, create more jobs and bring prosperity to the local communities.
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