Online Reporter
Wallace Ruzvidzo in MAPUTO, Mozambique
ZIMBABWE and Mozambique are working on boosting trade relations to match their excellent political relations, Zimbabwe’s Ambassador to Mozambique, Victor Matemadanda, has said.
In an interview here yesterday, Ambassador Matemadanda stated they were working tirelessly to ensure increased economic cooperation between Harare and Maputo.
“We are working on that day and night, and there is an improvement. But I want to mention that it is something we did not take seriously at the right time because if you consider the political relations between Mozambique and Zimbabwe, you would also expect the levels of trade to be high, but that is not the case. In fact, we have some countries that did not participate in ending Mozambique’s civil strife being in the lead, and we are also worried why we allowed such a situation,” he said.
Although current trade figures were not readily available, Mozambique’s construction sector has driven demand for Zimbabwean exports, including US$5,5 million in steel and US$1,4 million in timber, in 2023.
Additionally, Mozambique absorbs 19 percent of Zimbabwe’s cereal exports and horticultural products like tea, coffee, avocados, macadamias and pineapples.
Zimbabwe has been one of the traditional foreign investors in Mozambique for the last three decades, having reduced its participation in recent years, motivated by the well-known challenges that have afflicted not only Zimbabwe but most countries in the SADC region and the African continent at large.
However, Ambassador Matemadanda said that there are ongoing initiatives currently being rolled out to ensure increased economic cooperation between the two countries.
Zimbabwe’s investments are mainly in aquaculture and fisheries, tourism and manufacturing industry sectors.
“We hope that with time, things will improve, and they are definitely improving. There are many programmes being implemented by Zimtrade and other business organisations in Zimbabwe, which we believe will add value to the development initiatives and capacities of Zimbabwe’s trade with Mozambique,” he said.
During his visit to Zimbabwe when he officially opened this year’s edition of the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) in April, Mozambican President Daniel Chapo stated that the two countries are one. “Mozambique is Zimbabwe and Zimbabwe is Mozambique. We are one!” he said while highlighting that the two countries not only share a border but have deep-rooted political, economic and cultural relations dating back to the pre-independence era.
“It is a fact that cooperation with the Republic of Zimbabwe has great significance for Mozambique not only because of the common borders but also because of the deep historical ties of political, economic and cultural coexistence which date back to the national liberation struggle. Over the decades, these ties have translated into active and mutual support in the defence and consolidation of our sovereignties and have crystallised in close cooperation at bilateral, regional and continental levels,” said the Mozambican leader.
President Chapo noted that between 2015 and 2024, 37 projects with the capacity to create 1,649 jobs have been established. He said these projects involve private investors from Zimbabwe and have a total value of around US$120 million, of which approximately US$35 million was direct investment.
“Therefore, in terms of private investment between our two countries, we noted with satisfaction the presence of foreign direct investment from Zimbabwean companies in Mozambique which, although modest, expresses the willingness of businesspeople from our countries to explore intra-African investment opportunities,” said the Mozambican President.
