By Arnaldo Cuamba
Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa has expressed interest in buying energy from Cahora Bassa in central Mozambique to fill the existing deficit in his country.
The interest was expressed on Thursday at a hearing that mozambican President Filipe Nyusi gave to his counterpart, in the margin of the US-Africa summit that is taking place in Maputo, the capital of Mozambique.
“We cut our energy production by 50 percent, a situation that also affects Zambia. The Cahora Bassa dam shows that it is at levels of 45 percent so it was not affected. We feel we have to look at Cahora Bassa as a source of energy access for Zimbabwe, ” Mnangagwa told the press shortly after the end of the hearing.
Another issue that deserved discussion on the part of the two statesmen has to do with the air space that culminated in the signing of an agreement, within the scope of the implementation of the Yamoussoukro decision, for the opening of airspace, with the perspective of not limiting the number of flights and passengers in African airlines.
The agreement, which allows airlines from both countries to fly from one country to another without any limitations or barriers, was signed by the Minister of Transport and Communications, Carlos Mesquita and his counterpart, Joel Mathiza.
“The agreement we are signing today will allow the two countries to be able to fly without limits, capacity, number of flights and national entry points that wish to fly,” João Abreu, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Civil aviation institute of Mozambique, commented.
The declaration on the establishment of a Single African Air Transport Market as a flagship project of the African Union’s Agenda 2063 was adopted by the continental organization in 2015 and compliance with the 1999 Yamoussoukro Decision, which provides for full liberalization in terms of access the free movement of traffic rights, the elimination of restrictions on ownership and the full liberalization of frequencies, tariffs and transportation capacities.
