Country profile Mozambique
Number of Dutch companies active: 20
Population: 34 million (2023)
Area: 799,380 km² (19 times the size of the Netherlands)
GDP growth: 4.4 (2022)
Head of state: President Filipe Jacinto Nyusi
NABC and Mozambique
In May 2023, the NABC organised the Netherlands-Mozambique Business and Investment Forum to further support the industrialisation plans of the Mozambican government. Co-hosted by the Embassy of the Republic of Mozambique and the NABC, the forum brought together more than thirty attendees from the Dutch private sector and key members of the Mozambican government. With a primary focus on fostering economic partnerships, the one-day event provided a platform for insightful dialogue, networking, and the exploration of avenues for mutually beneficial cooperation in Mozambique’s agro-processing, energy, and infrastructure sectors.
In May 2017, NABC organised a business forum during the visit of President Filipe Nyusi. More than 25 Private Sector representatives and senior Government Officials were present together with the president. The focus was on Agribusiness, Energy, Maritime, Logistics and Construction and Services Sectors.
NABC organised a webinar about doing business in Mozambique on June 30th, 2020. The recording is available via our YouTube channel.
In 2016 NABC, in cooperation with Wageningen University & Research, organised a trade mission to both Mozambique and South Africa. The key focus areas were the Agri-business, Maritime and Offshore sectors.
In 2015, NABC organised a trade mission to Mozambique together with Wageningen University & Research and local partner the Zambezi Valley Development Authority. The mission focused on promising sub-sectors of agri-business.
Investment climate
Following three years of slow economic growth, driven by a combination of the lingering impacts of Mozambique’s 2016 hidden debt crisis and the devastating cyclones in 2019, 2020 was supposed to be Mozambique’s breakout year. While the economy registered its first contraction in 2020 in nearly three decades (due to COVID-19), growth is expected to rebound over the medium term, reaching about 4 percent by 2022.
Despite some challenges, Mozambique has plenty to offer Dutch entrepreneurs. The EU signed an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) on 10 June 2016 with the Southern African Development Community EPA Group comprising Mozambique, Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa and Swaziland. Under this agreement, the EU guarantees 100% free access to its market. In turn, Mozambique has partially opened its market to certain products imported from the EU; i.e. reduction of customs duties varying from 10% to 2%.
The energy sector is a promising one. Many households are still not connected to the national power grid and are now paying more for electricity by the use of diesel and generators. This means the government is planning to increase the number of households on the power grid and will most likely use foreign experts and contractors. Furthermore, the government announced the greater Maputo Water Supply expansion project which aims to increase the accessibility to clean water in the greater Maputo area.
The agriculture sector of Mozambique provides good opportunities because only a fraction of the arable land is currently used for agriculture. Mozambique still needs to import vegetables as the current supply cannot satisfy the local demand. In order to achieve this, there is a demand for quality seeds and other forms of agri related input.
The gas fields there were found offshore northern Mozambique, on the border with Tanzania, are described as the largest off-shore gas field discovered in recent times. Numerous Dutch companies active in the oil and gas sector are active in Mozambique.
Diplomatic relations
Netherlands
Embassy
There is a Dutch embassy in the Maputo, the capital of Mozambique. The current Dutch representative is Ambassador Ms. Elsbeth Akkerman.
Mozambique
Embassy
Mozambique is represented in the Netherlands via its embassy in Brussels, led by Ambassador Ms. Berta Celestino Cossa.
Presence of Dutch companies
There are more than 20 Dutch companies with a permanent representation in Mozambique. However, many more are trading or interacting with the country in a different way. Sectors where Dutch companies in Mozambique are mainly active in are water, agriculture, oil and gas, renewable energy, maritime, infrastructure and logistics.
Núria Vlonk-Cunha Soares
- Angola, Mozambique, Senegal
- nuria.vlonk@nabc.nl