Mozambique and Malawi sign MoUs on trade, mineral resources

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Mozambique and Malawi sign MoUs on trade, mineral resources

9:20 CAT | 24 Nov 2021

Photo:TVM

Cooperation protocols signed in Malawi on Tuesday open a new page in cooperation between Mozambique and that country. President Filipe Nyusi says that the new projects being implemented, especially in the energy sector, are a way to support Malawi and bring gains to Mozambique.

Mozambique and Malawi are going to cooperate in the areas of trade and mineral resources and intend to install a one-stop border crossing between the two countries. The intentions were formalized yesterday by the Mozambican Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Verónica Macamo, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Republic of Malawi, Eisenhower Mkaka.

The signing of the cooperation protocol was followed by a round of talks between the delegations of the two countries, led by heads of state Filipe Nyusi and Lazarus Chakwera.

The two presidents are expected to share more details tomorrow on the content of the agreements signed, during a joint press statement in the capital Lilongwe, an event that will mark the end of the three-day state visit to Malawi.

Mozambique willing to build railway in Malawi

At the state banquet offered to the Mozambican delegation by host Malawi, the President of the Republic outlined the situation on two important projects that the two countries agreed to implement.

The first project concerns the construction of a railway linking Mozambique and Malawi and facilitating the flow of goods from national ports to this country and other hinterland nations.

Like other countries in the region, Malawi does not have access to the sea, and so depends on Mozambique for imports and exports. For years, the country has tried to convince Mozambique to accept navigation on the Chiri River, which separates the provinces of Tete and Zambézia, but the request has never been granted. A railway is the new way forward.

“As a result of your first visit to Mozambique, Mr. President (Chakwera), on October 6, 2020, in Songo district, Tete province, we agreed on the reconstruction of the Sena-Vila Nova railway, on the Nsange border,” the Mozambican statesman said, going on to announce that “on the Mozambique side, the line is already in its final phase and we appreciate the fact that President Chakwera has included in the program a joint visit to these two projects, which are already on the border and, on the Mozambican side, they are ready to continue construction as far as the Malawians want”.

Mozambique’s head of state said he believed that this dream could be realized in Lazarus Chakwera’s current term of office.

Another important project for the two countries is the interconnection of electricity supply between Mozambique and Malawi. “We are also proud to announce that work on this power line will start in March of next year. The Malawian people will, in 2023, see their energy situation improved, because this project will have been concluded [by then],” Nyusi said.

Trust is the watchword in this new era of Mozambique-Malawi cooperation, two countries which, during the 16-year war, lived in distrust. The neighbourhood is also beset by economic issues, specifically Malawi’s failed desire to access the sea via the Chiri and Zambezi rivers.

“I cannot be suspicious of Malawi, and Malawi cannot be suspicious of Mozambique – nor Tanzania, nor Botswana. If we work in trust, we will move forward,” President Nyusi concluded.

Filipe Nyusi’s visit to Malawi ended today (november 24).

By António Tiua