JAPAN and the WORLD Magazine JULY ISSUE 2015 #Issue 12 | Page 39

BILATERAL TALKS
Gas production Pemba Basin, Mozambique.
“Through the ABE Initiative, three hundred youths will
benefit from scholarships for post-graduate training in the
area of natural resources in Japan”
MOZAMBIQUE
designed to transform the subsistence farms
into commercial products businesses through
the transfer of agro-technologies in a trilateral
cooperation between Mozambique, Japan
and Brazil. The ProSavana is inspired by
the Strategic Plan for Agricultural Sector
Development (PEDSA), an initiative launched
by the government of Mozambique aiming to:
(i) accelerate the production of staple foods;
(ii) increase income; (iii) ensure access and
secure land tenure and natural resources;
(iv) provide services considering the value
chain; (v) promote development of zones with
high agricultural potential; (vi) contribute
to the balance of payments. The zero draft
of the ProSavana strategic plan has been
concluded and consultations with the targeted
communities are already taking place in order
to come to an agreement.
In June 2013, to accelerate economic
cooperation, Japan and Mozambique signed
an agreement for Reciprocal Liberalization,
Promotion and Protection of Investment. In
2014, President Armando Guebuza and Prime
Minister Shinzo Abe launched the “Japan-
Mozambique Development Initiative based on
natural gas and coal” and the ABE Initiative
(African Business Education Initiative for
Youth). The first instrument will support the
development of natural resources particularly
natural gas and coal. Mozambique has in
recent years discovered world reserves of
natural gas and metallurgical coal. These
instruments will forge a mutually beneficial
and strategic partnership for both parts. The
natural resources that Mozambique has are of
strategic importance to Japan since it does not
possess natural resources.
Companies such as Mitsubishi Corporation,
Mitsui & Co Ltd., Nippon Steel and Sumitomo
Metal,
Impex,
Hitachi
Construction
Machinery and many more are already
active in Mozambique and their interests
range from coal mining, development of
natural gas, provision of technical services,
logistics, development railway infrastructure,
agriculture to wood chips, fisheries, recycling,
consulting, engineering and real estate agency,
to name but a few. Thanks to this process,
trade between the two countries is beginning to
show positive effects and is expected to grow as
exports of coal and liquefied natural gas (LNG)
begin to reach the Japanese market.
Moatize Coal, Vale, Tête
Credits: Åse Wästberg, SGU
Through the ABE Initiative, three hundred
youths from Mozambique will benefit from
scholarships for post-graduate training in
the area of natural resources in Japan. This
program is designed to support the initiative
taken by the government of Mozambique to
develop new skills, which will allow the country
to provide adequate labor force to the coal,
gas and petroleum industries projects under
development. The Japanese International
Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Japan
Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation
(JOGMEC) have also been very instrumental
in providing short-term training to the
government and the private sectors involved in
the development of natural resources.
JULY 2015 // 39