Germany’s economic commitment to Mozambique will further be strengthened as the Germany Africa Business Forum (GABF) embarks on a three-day trade mission to encourage, promote, and facilitate trade and investment between businesses in the European country and a growing Mozambican economy. In a statement the GABF, a private think tank founded in 2017 whose goal is to strengthen investment ties between Germany and Africa, said investors would visit the resource-rich southern African country during a gas and power conference organised by Africa Oil & Power and set for next March. It said the goal of the investment roadshow was to deepen German-Mozambican relationships in light of Mozambique’s recent discovery of substantial natural gas fields, largely considered a game-changer for the country and its people. Natural gas in its liquefied form (LNG) is a clean and safe fuel that is growing in global significance, as world energy demand increases. According to Sebastian Wagner, executive chair of the GABF, Mozambique is on the verge of becoming an international player in the global energy market, and the GABF has called on German investment and technology to play a part in this transformation. “The German energy sector continues to be among the most innovative sectors of the European economy. German businesses understand that they need to play a strong and competitive role in Africa to ensure a cleaner and stronger Germany,” said Wagner. “Mozambique is a great opportunity for German businesses to invest in gas monetisation projects, petrochemicals, power projects, industrialisation and immediate diversification of the economy that leads to jobs for the people of Mozambique and Germans alike.” Mozambique offered German companies many untapped opportunities to adapt and create new business models that were inclusive of and responsive to the tremendous opportunities and potential that existed in the African state, the GABF said. According to the think tank, the platform created by the government of Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi to bring investors into the country was a step in the right direction and it will host a Germany-Mozambique roundtable at next March’s conference. It also plans to announce several investment agreements. “Germany has had strong relations with Mozambique since independence. Many Mozambicans studied and lived in Germany, and Germany has provided wide-ranging support for peace and reconciliation in Mozambique,” Wagner said. “Mozambique is going to play a strong role in driving energy security and global peace.”
INSERT: "The German energy sector continues to be among the most innovative sectors of the European economy." – Sebastian Wagner
