Maputo, Mozambique, March 18, 2026 (Lusa) - The Confederation of Economic Associations of Mozambique (CTA) requested support from partners within the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP) on Wednesday for the promotion and development of tourism and vocational training in the sector.
"There will be coordinated work by the CTA and other Mozambican entities to understand how to prepare, not only in business cooperation but also in training a specialised, qualified workforce, which can be an opportunity for many young Mozambicans to work in a more developed tourism market," said Salimo Abdula, the confederation's representative for the tourism sector.
The official spoke to journalists in Maputo following a meeting with a mission from the CPLP Business Confederation (CE-CPLP). This delegation included representatives from AHRESP (Association of Hotels, Restaurants, and Similar Establishments of Portugal) and ASAE (Economic and Food Safety Authority), who sought to strengthen exchanges with Mozambique during a three-day visit.
"Tourism is a very important sector that Mozambique prioritises as one of its pillars for social and economic growth," Abdula underlined. "It is a sector that adds to what we aspire to, which is job creation, and it is in this sphere that the CTA and the CE-CPLP, through other partners, AHRESP and ASAE, intend to explore, learn, and also cooperate so that the tourism sector in various aspects can provide the significant leverage we need for social and economic development," he added.
"This mission has a unique feature. Mozambique was the first country they visited for this type of interaction. They will certainly also work with other CPLP member countries towards this objective of interaction in this specific sector, the tourism sector," Abdula emphasised, acknowledging that Mozambique, also in this area, still "needs many things" to establish itself.
Berta Montalvão, Vice-President of the CE-CPLP, explained that this mission aims to "monitor the exchange and dialogue with the CTA", to "develop and empower" workers in the tourism field, including catering and hospitality, in this case in Mozambique.
"We know that what unites us is the Portuguese language. It ends up being the bridge for our community. However, it is also necessary to develop and empower our companies in the sector in order to also promote and develop our countries' economies," Berta Montalvão highlighted, anticipating contacts with various Mozambican tourism and catering associations and entities in the coming days.
"We spoke here about three main pillars: the development of infrastructure, the development and improvement of the quality of services provided, and also human capital. I would say these are the three focus areas and, obviously, we have to find a path of collaboration between all entities so we can successfully achieve the priorities of the tourism sector," the Portuguese official argued.
The objective, she added, is to define in the coming days how to "collaborate" with Mozambique in this area.
"Mozambique has natural resources. It is a priority for our government to explore the tourism area, and it is also a priority for the CTA. We need two important things: training and investment, to leverage the resources we have across all spheres, from beach tourism to wildlife, to mountains. We have many things; we need to improve the quality of service. Because, as they say, in tourism, when people are well served, they return. But if things go wrong, people speak poorly of us and do not return. Therefore, we must be careful," Abdula appealed, in turn.
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