Mozambique wants intellectual, industrial property at the heart of economic growth

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Mozambique wants intellectual, industrial property at the heart of economic growth

1:39 CAT | 08 Aug 2025

Screen grab: RTP Afric

The government of Mozambique wants to place intellectual and industrial property at the heart of the national economic and technological development strategy, recognizing its role as a “driver of innovation,” competitiveness and sustainable growth, Secretary of State for Industry Custódia Paunde announced yesterday.

“We want a country where knowledge is recognized as wealth, where innovation is a natural practice, where companies, large and small, find in the intelectual and industrial property system an ally to grow, compete, and conquer markets,” Paunde said in Maputo at the opening of the 1st Consultative Council of the Industrial Property Institute (IPI).

At the event, which brought together government officials, academics, and private sector representatives, the Secretary of State for Industry advocated for the cross-cutting integration of intelectual and industrial property into all public policies, from education to industrialization, as a way to diversify the economy and create local added value.

The creation of a robust and collaborative innovation ecosystem between the government, businesses, and academia is seen as fundamental to achieving this goal. Paunde believes that only with protected and innovative products will it be possible to compete in the broader continental market, preventing the country from becoming a mere spectator.

The need to align Mozambique’s national intellectual and industrial property system with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA will be one of the topics of the council session, which runs until today Friday.

“Mozambique’s transformation cannot be based solely on the exploitation of natural resources. It needs, above all, to be fuelled by our people’s ability to create, adapt, and innovate,” Paunde stressed, adding that the country cannot miss the opportunity to lead in the valorisation of African intellectual capital.

The IPI Advisory Council, held under the motto “Industrial Property: Engine of Innovation, Business Competitiveness, and Economic Development”, aims to evaluate institutional performance, propose reforms, and consolidate industrial property governance in Mozambique.

According to government data, Mozambique expects industrial production to grow 1.2% this year, reaching 146,045 million meticais (€1,968 million), driven by the metallurgical sector.

According to the government’s forecast released in June, the basic metallurgical industry expects slight production growth this year, of 1.5%, to 41,443 million meticais (€558.5 million), representing 28.4% of the total. It is followed by the food industry, with a 2% increase, to 40,287 million meticais (€542.9 million), and the beverage sector, with a 1% increase, to 23,603 million meticais (€318 million).

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