NYUSI CLAIMS VISIT TO FRANCE WAS SUCCESSFUL

Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi told reporters on Tuesday that he had achieved all the objectives he had hoped for from his three day visit to France.Speaking to the Mozambican journalists who covered the visit, Nyusi said he was sure there would now be greater cooperation between the Mozambican and French governments, and also in the field of business. Nyusi revealed that one of the major French banks, Societe General, intends to open

a branch in Maputo in the near future. He believed that this would act as a signal for other French banks and companies to invest in Mozambique.Cooperation with France, as with many other countries, would be based on the “win-win” principle of mutual gains, said the President. “The fact is that Mozambique is no longer a country that is talked about, but a country with which one talks”, he added. He noted that in the meetings he attended, companies were represented not just by managers, but by their owners. “This shows that they have a great interest in investing in our country”, he claimed, “and I have no doubt that within a short time these companies will begin to flow into Mozambique”. Attracting foreign investment was essential, Nyusi said, in order to provide jobs for the thousands of young Mozambicans who leave the countries schools and universities every year. “It is companies that create wealth for a country to prosper”, he declared.

Nyusi said he had urged French businesses to invest in the areas which his government believes will contribute most rapidly to the well-being of Mozambicans, particular agriculture in order to guarantee the country’s food security and produce a surplus for export. He believed that Mozambique enjoys all the conditions necessary to become a major food exporter, since it has around 40 million hectares of arable land, and its many rivers provide plenty of water for irrigation. But to ensure that agriculture develops in Mozambique, measures must be taken to end the situation in which vast fertile areas are in the hands of people who are not putting it to productive use. Nyusi said this has frustrated those who really want to farm and to produce food.Mozambican government officials have frequently warned that people who do not use their land will be stripped of their land titles. Now that this threat comes from the President himself, perhaps there is a greater chance that it will become reality.