The Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, recently suggested to his Mozambican counterpart that the two countries work to enhance air connectivity to bolster business, culture and people-to-people relations, according to reports.
President Filipe Nyusi, in India to attend the 10th Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit, met with Modi in Gandhinagar to discuss possibilities to further bilateral ties in areas from energy, health, and agriculture to mining, trade and investment.
They also discussed issues related to cooperation in multilateral forums, including the UN and G-20, to which Modi supports the inclusion of the African Union as a permanent member.
[See more: India’s state-owned railway company nets a contract in Mozambique]
India was among the first countries to establish diplomatic relations with Mozambique after it gained independence in 1975.
More recent years have seen India invest billions in the Southern African nation. The energy sector alone has received around US$11 billion with more to come. A US$20 billion LNG project near Cabo Delgado, in which three Indian state-owned enterprises hold a combined 30 percent stake, is finally set to restart work in 2024 after Islamist terrorist activities derailed it in 2021.
Maritime security, including for projects like the Cabo Delgado LNG platform, is another area where India has worked to support its ally, with the latest naval deployment arriving in November.
