Investment Promotion Agencies from Mozambique and Zambia receive capacity building (en)

A five-day workshop was conducted by ITC in Maputo from 12-16 November 2018. The objectives were to enhance the capacities of the Trade and Investment Support Institutions(TISI) of Mozambique (Agência para a Promoção de Investimento e Exportações (APIEX), to develop their Institutional Foundation and initiate the development of Investment Roadmap to mobilize foreign direct investment, particularly Chinese investment, in specific sectors profitable for investors and beneficial for the Mozambican economy.

APIEX was created on the 12 December 2016, merged from three local institutions: the Centro de Promocao de Investimentos (CPI), the Institute for Export Promotion (IPEX) and the Gabinete das Zonas Económicas de Desenvolvimento Acelerado (GAZEDA). To develop their institutional foundation, ITC conducted a workshop in collaboration with the Costa Rican Investment Promotion Agency (CINDE), a renowned agency ranked as a top foreign investment agency by various studies and institutions. Participants learnt about strategic planning and organizational strategy. In-groups, they built APIEX´s mission, vision, values, pillars and principles. Critical aspects of the development of marketing materials were also discussed.

This mission combined another intervention, to design the Investment Roadmap (IR) in terms of its scope, focus and development approach. The IR is a short, comprehensive document, laying down a strategic vision towards mobilizing investment in Mozambique and identifying the milestones to be achieved within the next four years. The IR will help APIEX promote the comparative advantages and the potential of selected agro-business and light manufacturing sectors of Mozambique, as an attractive destination for foreign investors, especially for those from China. The investment Roadmap will also be a tool to promote investments, producing tangible benefits and spill overs for the Mozambican economy in terms of knowledge and technology transfer, business opportunities for SMEs as well as job creation.

APIEX staff participating in those meetings, discussed and endorsed the keys content of the IR, its orientations, structure and the inclusive approach for further developing it in consultation with selected national stakeholders. Cotton-to-textile value chain, cashew, furniture and forestry were considered priority sectors for investment mobilization according to participants’ experiences and sector knowledge. One of the participants said, “We are ready to take the ownership of the Roadmap to ensure its implementation”.