Mozambique: Machatine wants to make Mozambique a welcoming place for investment
The decade that will transform Gaza province
2:44 CAT | 04 Dec 2018
Photo: O País
A province almost “suspended in time” in terms of development. That is the sad reality of Gaza, which in the next ten years plans to attract private investments that will completely transform the province.
Known for its vast agricultural and tourism potential, the southern province of Gaza seems to be “forgotten” in terms of major investments, its level of development progressing at a snail’s pace.
The Gaza Provincial Government has an ambitious plan to address this by catapulting the socio-economic development of the region in the next ten years. The guidelines are already set and the draft was presented to potential investors in Bilene this Monday.
The Gaza Province’s Strategic Development Plan for the next decade defines tourism, agriculture and livestock as the main ways to attract large investments.
The signs of change are already in there to see. At the Gaza investment conference in Bilene (one of the main tourist destinations in Gaza province), the local government and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security of Botswana signed memoranda of understanding to develop the meat industry in the province.
“Gaza has characteristics similar to those of Botswana. The agro-livestock potential is present, so we will help the province to reach international levels. Our friendship with Mozambique is old,” Botswana Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Patrick Pule Ralotsia said.
The governor of Gaza, Stella da Graça, recalled the historic symbolism of the province, a situation that made this part of the country “very special and unique”.
“The time has come for Gaza to attract large investments,” the provincial governor told an audience of nearly a hundred potential investors, former members of government and members of the Assembly of the Republic.
Meanwhile, Transport and Communications Minister Carlos Mesquita highlighted Chibuto’s heavy sands projects and the construction of the airport in Xai-xai, the provincial capital of Gaza.
The Mozambican government has obtained a Chinese donation estimated at about US$60 million to finance the airport infrastructure.
“Gaza has comparative advantages that can be converted into competitive advantages. That is why we encourage the active participation of the private sector and the establishment of public and private partnerships,” Mesquita said.
In order to encourage and attract investment in the province, the government is committed to improving the business environment, with special emphasis on legal reform, fiscal and customs incentives, the establishment of economic and special zones, and the simplification of bureaucratic procedures for opening companies and granting licenses.
By Edson Arante
Source: O País
Show comments
Also read
Leave a Reply
Be the First to Comment!
You must be logged in to post a comment.
You must be logged in to post a comment.