Industrial parks

• Forum

Onório Manuel GENERAL DIRECTOR, BELULUANE INDUSTRIAL PARK AND FREE TRADE ZONE

BELULUANE INDUSTRIAL PARK is a PPP between the Mozambican Government Agency for Investments and Export Promotion (APIEX), which retains 40% of shares, and Mozambican and Swiss investors from the private sector. The park was established in 2000, and its main objective is to develop an industrial area in a free trade zone regime, focused on exports, as well as a regular business area for local businesses. Companies in the free trade zone need to be transformative industries that export at least 70% of their production. The park has an area of 700ha, and so far, we have completed Phase I, which currently has 40 enterprises from 15 countries. We have a dry port project to facilitate road traffic for industries and people. Our location is strategic, as we are situated just off the road connecting Maputo to South Africa. We want to create a mechanism to bring trucks that come from South Africa to our dry port. All the goods will then be redirected to Matola Port or Maputo through the train line, which will prevent road congestion and reduce pollution. On the energy side, in August 2019, the Council of Ministers approved a USD2.8-billion gas power station that will produce 2,000MW. Between Mozal’s energy needs and the new industries that will open in the park in Phase II-V, there will be enough demand for energy. Besides, any excess will be sold to neighboring countries, especially South Africa. We also plan to build a 7-km pipeline to transport gas from Matola Port to the industrial park to feed the thermal power station.

Manuel de Morais MANAGING DIRECTOR, DENDUSTRI TECHNICAL

DENDUSTRI TECHNICAL was formed in 2008 under the request of Mozal. From the start, the core of our services has been repairing and maintenance of the energy stems of Mozal. For over a decade, Mozal has been our core business, but the aluminum market is extremely volatile, and as a result, the company is looking for savings, which puts pressure on us to cut operational costs. At all times, our aim is to ensure that the quality of our product is up to standards and that our pricing is correct and competitive. At the same time, Dendustri Technical has expanded its business with Mozal with two more contracts and diversified its portfolio of contracts. In 2015, we added a fully equipped CNC machine shop—one of the most advanced in Mozambique—to offer extended services to our new clients. In 2019, Dendustri Technical was sold to a new group of investors from South Africa and Mauritius, who retain 85% of the ownership. The remaining 15% is owned by the local partner. We have some new plans for 2020. We recently established a new company called Dendustri Engineering. We are currently investing in equipment and facilities. We want to tackle all the sectors with opportunities for growth, from oil and gas to mining and agriculture. We are also interested in expanding our business to Pemba in order to capture the opportunities created by the LNG and mining industries in the north of the country.

Jorge Damasceno COUNTRY MANAGER, MECWIDE MOZAMBIQUE

MECWIDE is a metal works company with engineering, purchasing, and EPC activities on the side. Our main focus is metal construction in large dimensions for the mining, cement, and oil and gas sectors. We produce oil and gas tanks including air tanks and superficial and underground tanks, both double and single facing. In the mining and cement industries, we produce conveyors for materials and silos. From the start of our activities, we understood the importance of vertical integration; therefore, we provide a range of services from assembly to validations and support activities. Since acquiring the original company in 2015, Mecwide has set up a new facility and started expanding in Mozambique. Some of our main clients are Siemens, Vale, Mozal, and Galp. In 2020, we are looking to sign contracts with major LNG operators; we have already bid for 10 projects. Key to ensuring these contracts is establishing a strong local presence, which we have had for over 10 years, and an international profile able to correspond to the contractors’ demands. We expect to open a facility in Cabo Delgado, most probably in Palma, at the beginning of 2H2020. Through certain programs, we are hiring experienced personnel from local universities and training them. Beside LNG, we want to serve the energy sector in the central provinces as well as smaller projects financed by international donors. Mozambique is ripe with opportunities, which is why it is essential to assert a presence in different locations.