Maputo, March 26, 2026 (Lusa) - Mozambique wants to strengthen defence cooperation with India, the permanent secretary of its Ministry of Defence said on Thursday, as he invited local businesses to use Indian expertise in this area.
"India is a key player with advanced technology and a consolidated defence industry, and we hope our business community uses Indian experience to spark interest in defence matters," the Ministry of Defence's permanent secretary Casimiro Mueio said at the opening of the India-Mozambique Defence Industry seminar in Maputo.
He expressed interest in strengthening bilateral defence cooperation with India, noting that the country faces various challenges, including natural disasters, transnational crime, terrorism, and illegal immigration.
He said this "requires the FDS [Defence and Security Forces] to have human and technological capacity to face them." "We also believe this event will serve as an opportunity to strengthen business partnerships with the public and private sectors, in the collective effort to achieve security, assuming that national defence is everyone's responsibility," Mueio explained. India's high commissioner to Mozambique, Robert Shetkintong, donated two ambulances to the defence sector, noting Indian companies are participating in the event with equipment to help mitigate natural disasters and fight terrorism in Cabo Delgado, in the north.
He said he wanted to continue supporting the country by strengthening the FDS with technical training and equipment.
Authorities said the seminar aimed to promote defence products and identify mechanisms and partnerships needed to respond to "real and probable threats that challenge security." They also plan to sign defence industry partnership agreements and improve the business environment.
Mozambique and India maintain bilateral defence cooperation with partnerships in priority areas such as maritime security, combating terrorism and technical training, the permanent secretary said.
Since October 2017, the gas-rich province of Cabo Delgado has faced an armed rebellion with attacks claimed by movements associated with the Islamic State extremist group, which are estimated to have caused around 6,500 deaths.
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