- Congo and Mozambique signed a hydrocarbons cooperation agreement during President Daniel Chapo’s visit to Brazzaville.
- Congo aims to increase oil output to 500,000 barrels per day, while Mozambique expects up to $60 billion in gas investments.
- Bilateral trade totaled just $20 million in 2024, highlighting the limited scale of current economic ties.
The Republic of Congo and Mozambique have agreed to strengthen cooperation in hydrocarbons, a sector central to both economies, as they seek to expand economic ties beyond their relatively modest trade relationship. The two countries signed around ten legal agreements on October 7 in Brazzaville, including one specifically dedicated to hydrocarbons. The signing took place during an official visit by Mozambican President Daniel Chapo, who met with his Congolese counterpart, Denis Sassou-Nguesso.
The hydrocarbons agreement establishes a cooperation framework between two energy-producing countries with different industry profiles. Congo has relied on an established oil industry for several decades, while Mozambique has focused in particular on the development of its natural gas reserves in the Rovuma Basin. Their respective priorities provide the backdrop for a partnership that both governments now intend to develop.
For Brazzaville, the economic priority is to extract greater value from its oil resources while reducing dependence on imported refined petroleum products. Congo aims to increase crude oil production to 500,000 barrels per day by 2030 and, at the same time, reduce its purchases of fuel from abroad.
Mozambique, meanwhile, sees the development of its natural gas projects as a major source of potential investment and revenue. At the opening of the 61st Maputo International Fair (FACIM 2026), President Chapo cited between $50 billion and $60 billion in expected gas investments over the next five to ten years. These investments would center particularly on projects led by Eni, TotalEnergies, and ExxonMobil in the Rovuma Basin.
Chapo also invited Congolese businesses to invest in Mozambique, particularly in infrastructure, logistics, agriculture, and tourism. The invitation reflects Maputo’s efforts to diversify its economic partnerships and attract investment to support both its broader development priorities and its energy projects.
The agreements signed on October 7 extend beyond hydrocarbons. They also cover agriculture, tourism, higher education, maritime affairs, and forest resource protection. The documents were concluded at the end of the first session of the two countries’ Joint Grand Commission for Cooperation, which resumed its work after a long period without a meeting. The session marks a new stage in bilateral relations and provides a broader framework for cooperation across several sectors.
A partnership that must deliver projects and trade
Trade between Congo and Mozambique reached approximately $20 million in 2024, according to data from the Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC). Products exchanged between the two countries included electricity, machinery, packaged medicines, and beauty and cleaning products.
The figure illustrates the current scale of bilateral commerce, which remains limited despite the economic opportunities identified by both governments. However, the available data do not provide enough information to assess how trade might develop or to determine the value of potential investments between the two countries.
The challenge now is to translate the agreements into concrete projects and commercial exchanges. President Denis Sassou-Nguesso emphasized that priority when he called for the commitments to be implemented rather than left “in drawers.” His remarks underscored the need for practical action following the signing of the agreements.
READ: Mozambique and Congo strengthen bilateral cooperation
Source: Ecofin