MAPUTO – Japan will provide ¥70 billion in official development assistance to Mozambique over five years for a transport corridor project, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Sunday.
Abe made the pledge in a meeting with President Armando Guebuza in the capital, Maputo, as they agreed to strengthen cooperation on energy resources, including liquefied natural gas and coal.
The Nacala Corridor in north Mozambique extends from the port of Nacala to the inland districts of the nation and to neighboring countries, such as Malawi and Zambia.
“We agreed to deepen bilateral relations,” Abe said at a joint press conference as Guebuza expressed his gratitude for the aid.
The two leaders also confirmed that the successful development of natural resources in Mozambique is important to its economic growth and to Japan’s energy needs.
As for an already signed investment accord between the countries, the two leaders expressed hope that it will take effect at an early date.
Abe, who is on a weeklong trip to the Middle East and Africa, also made sure to use his policy buzzwords, saying Japan will contribute to world peace and stability “proactive pacifism.”
The Self-Defense Forces participated in U.N. peacekeeping operations in Mozambique between 1993 and 1995.
