Mozambican President Daniel Chapo used a working breakfast with businesspeople from China’s Hunan province during the weekend to pitch Mozambique as an investment destination, inviting Chinese companies to put their money into the southern African country.
The pitch came during a Sino-Mozambican Business Forum held in the city of Changsha as part of Chapo’s ongoing state visit to China.
Chapo told the gathering that Mozambique is a safe and attractive destination for investment, pointing to opportunities across energy, agriculture, tourism, infrastructure, mineral resources and technology. 
“Our geographical location gives us a unique strategic advantage,” he said, describing Mozambique as “a natural logistical platform in the SADC region,” linking the African interior to global markets through the Maputo, Beira and Nacala rail corridors.
On agriculture, Chapo pointed to over 36 million hectares of arable land suitable for a wide variety of crops. “We would like to invite the Chinese businesses that operate in agriculture to invest in Mozambique, which has arable land, water and excellent logistical conditions for exports,” he said.
He also spoke about Mozambique’s vast natural gas reserves, which place the country among the ten nations with the largest gas reserves in the world. “This is a country rich in gas and petroleum,” Chapo said. “It is a country rich in mineral resources, such as titanium bearing heavy sands and graphite.”
On energy, he told the forum that hydropower and gas-fired power stations already provide the electricity needed, while wind and solar powered stations can also be built. Investing in power stations, he said, “is a guaranteed business in Mozambique.”
Chapo also told the Chinese business community that his government is pushing through legislative changes to attract more foreign investment, particularly for the development of a manufacturing industry and for the creation of special economic zones, including one centred on the northern port of Nacala.
