The first India-Mozambique Defence Industrial Interaction was held in Maputo from 25-26 April 2024. The Industrial Interaction provided an opportunity for government owned, and private defence companies from India to come together with officials from the Ministries of Defence, Mozambican Defence Armed Forces (FADM) and Mozambican Civil Security Agencies to hold productive discussions on cooperation in defence production and procurement.
2. H.E. Mr. Cristovao Chume, Hon’ble Minister of National Defence of Mozambique was the Chief Guest for the event. In his address, the Hon’ble Minister commended the strong bilateral relations between our two countries and reiterated the strategic nature of our relations especially in defence.
3. The Indian MoD was represented by Shri Anurag Bajpai, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Defence (Department of Defence Production), who provided an overview of the advances made by India in the field of defence production. High Commissioner Robert Shetkintong highlighted the traditionally close relations between the two countries and encouraged the participants to engage in constructive collaborations to achieve tangible results beneficial for both the nations.
4. This was the first such physical interaction on Defence Industrial Collaboration between India and Mozambique. The interaction received an unprecedented response from Indian companies with 20 Indian public and private companies represented, reflecting the enthusiasm amongst them to partner and collaborate with Mozambique and to support Mozambique Defence Armed Forces and Civil Defence Agencies in addressing their requirements. A wide range of topics related to defence hardware, security systems, cyber security, communication, drones and niche technologies were covered during the Interaction, which saw the Indian companies presenting their products to the Mozambican officials in the event.
5. With an array of distinguished industry players from both sides, the Defence Industry Interaction resulted in productive sessions of discussions. The interaction concluded on 26 April 2024 with several B2G and B2B meetings paving the way for greater cooperation in the field of defence and security.
6. On the sidelines, the official delegation called on the Hon’ble Defence Minister and visited the Mozambique Naval Headquarters. Also, the delegation had a familiarization visit to a Mozambican Navy’s fast speed interceptor boat.
