Mozambican Minister of Industry and Trade Silvino Moreno says the country meets all the requirements to adopt Green Industrialization, thanks to its huge power generation potential, adequate infrastructures and favourable geographical location.
The minister voiced his conviction on Wednesday (26), in Maputo, at the 28th Conference of Senior Officials of the United Nations Council for Southern Africa (UNECA), which runs in parallel with the 61st Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OEACP) and the 42nd Session of the African, Caribbean and Pacific – European Union (ACP-EU) Joint Parliamentary Assembly.
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“We have all the conditions to implement green industrialization, which we have already started with, for example, the construction of the Mphanda Nkuwa hydroelectric dam and solar power projects all over the country. These are good indicators of Mozambique’s preparedness for Green Industrialization”, Moreno said.
The minister appointed out as another major development challenge digital technologies, as these require huge investments.
“Digitalization is a challenge for Mozambique, and we want to adopt Green Industrialization policies. We want to develop Green Industrialization, because it presents itself as an environmentally friendly platform, by the adoption of low polluting technologies”, the minister said.
During the meeting participants also discussed Mozambique’s preparedness to join the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
The country signed the agreement but, according to Mozambique’s Constitution, it must be ratified by the Assembly of the Republic.
“We are taking the necessary steps to domesticate the legislation, while also looking at the customs legislation”, Moreno said, adding that this is a good opportunity for the country, looking at the huge number of consumers, which is estimated at 1.3 billion.
“We have an extensive coastline and we have infrastructure that can boost African trade”, he said, adding that the meeting, which ends on Thursday (27), will produce some important decisions and recommendations from the point of view of actions for the country to easily integrate the African Free Market.
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At the meeting, UNECA regional director, Eunice Kamwemdo, stressed the need to boost Green Industrialization in Mozambique as a means to protect the environment and arrest climate change.
“Mozambique is a country struggling with climate change. The implementation of Green Industrialization has the potential to generate environmental gains”, Kamwemdo said, stressing that natural disasters affect the entire southern African region, hence the need for adoption of strategies for environmental protection.
“We must industrialize and diversify our economies by creating sustainable jobs. There is a need to invest deeply in Green Industrialization. This can be done without using the same path of the developed countries. We have to invest in other economies, such as tourism, for example”, she said.
In attendance were representatives of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), experts from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNICTAD), government officials and other guests.
