Navigating the Pitfalls in Russia-Mozambique Economic Partnership -By Kestér Kenn Klomegâh

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held an indepth discussions with Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of the Republic of Mozambique Maria Manuela dos Santos Lucas in late July 2025. The July visit was her first as Foreign Minister. Maria Lucas served previously as the Co-Chairperson of the Intergovernmental Commission for Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation.

Russia’s diplomatic history with Mozambique is well-known. The bilateral relations dated way back to the era of the national liberation struggle. With time frame, Russia and Mozambique could be described as having shared a reliable and time-tested partnership. Lavrov, as Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation, has visited Maputo several times, with the latest trip made in 2023.

Since the independence of Mozambique, Russian and Mozambican presidents and foreign ministers maintain regular contacts, which consistently deliver tangible results, including in terms of identifying additional objectives for bilateral economic and humanitarian cooperation, assisting Mozambique in enhancing its defence capabilities, as well as in terms of regional and international agendas.

Several delegations have visited Moscow, and Russians have shown their reciprocal sentiments by visiting Maputo. In August 2019, ahead of the first Russia-Africa summit, President Vladimir Putin held talks with Mozambican leader Filipe Nyusi in the Kremlin where both discussed bilateral cooperation between the two countries. That visit, first for Mozambican leader after the collapse of the Soviet empire, was part of the consolidation and deepening of the existing relations of friendship and cooperation between Mozambique and Russia.

Following the comprehensive talks, Putin and Nyusi witnessed the exchange of documents signed during the official visit of the President of Mozambique to Russia. Russian companies, among them are Rosneft, UAZ, GAZ, Kamaz, Inter Rao – Export and Gazprombank, have an active interest in cooperation with Mozambican partners. These were documents involving the above-mentioned Russian companies. Readers can now assess the level of contributions made by these Russians companies to the economy of Mozambique from 2019 until today.

“We have natural resources and we expect Russian investments to use those resources for the good of the people,” Nyusi said in an interview with local Russian news agency, published on the eve of his meeting with Putin. There has been an increasing interest of Russian business community in building partnerships with Mozambique, which matches Maputo’s intention to attract Russian investment and technical assistance.

Speeches praised the relations between the two countries. Russia and Mozambique re-affirmed commitment to promoting trade and economic cooperation, and believed that joint efforts in geological exploration and mineral extraction as well as telecommunications, energy and agriculture could possibly be the main priorities in the renewed bilateral relationship. The Russian-Mozambique Business Forum was also held at the World Trade Center as part of the networking visit of the President Nyusi and his delegation to Moscow.

Sergey Lavrov visited Maputo. That was followed by Russian delegations of parliamentarians and senators to southern African countries including Mozambique. In his series of the end-year media reports, Special Presidential Representative for the Middle East and Africa, Mikhail Bogdanov, told local Russian media that Russia would continue its interaction with Mozambique in various economic sectors. Russia was ready to support Mozambique in the fight against terrorism through cooperation in the field of intelligence, Mikhail Bogdanov, in November 2021, as the Russian Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs promised at the end of the meeting with Prime Minister Carlos Agostinho do Rosário in Maputo.

In addition to the high-level ministerial promise of assisting Mozambique, Bogdanov told Prime Minister Carlos Agostinho do Rosário that Russia would launch more initiatives focusing on ensuring peace and stability, and restoring normalcy in Mozambique. According to Bogdanov, this was necessary as the first step for Russian companies to participate in economic sectors. Bogdanov also held talks, at that time, with Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Verónica Macamo Dhlovo, with themes related to bilateral cooperation in the areas of economy and trade, dominating the conversation between the two.

Bogdanov underlined the fact that Russia has had economic cooperation with Mozambique. There was an increasing interest of the Russian business community in building partnerships with Mozambique, which matched Maputo’s intention to attract Russian investment and technical assistance. It was a critical and shaky period when authentic reports on the “hidden debts” scandal amounted to a US$2 billion loan scam involving two banks, Credit Suisse and Russia’s VTB bank. The secrecy and corruption surrounding the bank loans dealt devastating blows to both Russia’s and Mozambique’s credibility and reputation.

Local media reported that Russia was seriously accused of other non-transparent deals with Maputo. It was the Wall Street Journal that first revealed the hidden debt in April 2016. By U.S. court ruling, the Russian bank VTB agreed to pay more than US$6 million to settle the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at a joint news conference following the substantive and constructive talks with Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of the Republic of Mozambique Maria Lucas on 22nd July, 2025, showed the importance of refreshing the relations, as various economic sectors were selected for building their joint bilateral economic diplomacy.

In an assessment at the media conference, both ministers pointed to accomplishments (without pointing concretely to any infrastructure project undertaken and completed) over the past several years based on the agreements reached by the presidents of Russia and Mozambique, and outlined the paths that will enhance strategic partnership in economic, military-technical, social, humanitarian, and cultural cooperation.

On June 25, the year 2025, marked the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Russia and Mozambique. While reaffirming the principles underlying bilateral cooperation, including traditional relations of friendship, equality and mutual respect, Lavrov welcomed the unwavering intention of Mozambican new leadership under President Daniel Chapo to deepen multifaceted ties based on those very principles.

Lavrov further highlighted regular contacts between both leadership, the respective presidents who interacted at the Russia-Africa summits in 2019 and 2023. He also reminded the cooperation agreement that was signed between the Federation Council and the Assembly of the Republic of Mozambique. And the parliamentary friendship groups that were established as well. The party-to-party cooperation – United Russia and the Mozambique Liberation Front (FRELIMO) that pledged to interact closely, including in multilateral formats. The Intergovernmental Commission for Economic and Scientific and Technical Cooperation agreed to come up with specific proposals, including greater involvement of Russian companies in implementing economic projects in Mozambique.

From monitoring, Russia has traditionally trained personnel for Mozambique at Russian higher education institutions. Seventy-five (75) Mozambican students are admitted annually to study in Russia under a government quota. Lavrov asked that Mozambican friends make serious efforts to promote and teach the Russian language at one of the leading university in Mozambique.

Lavrov spoke about reinforcing traditional friendly ties. Russia never contributed anything to support the joint initiative in the area of peace and security undertaken by the SADC Standby Force, during those difficult times in Cabo Delgado, Mozambique. Despite that however, while at the media conference with Foreign Minister Maria Manuela dos Santos Lucas in Moscow, Lavrov reiterated his government’s preparedness to continue strengthening defence and counter-terrorism capabilities in order to overcome lingering threats in northern Mozambique, to normalise the situation and to create proper environment for return to peaceful life.

Diplomatic relations between the two countries were established on June 25, 1975, on the day Mozambique declared its independence. The Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation between the Soviet Union and the People’s Republic of Mozambique was signed in 1977. Mozambique is a natural, time-tested and long-standing partner, the Soviet Union played an important role in Mozambique.

Time has now come to reckon with objective reality. And the basic question is the level of bilateral impact on development in Mozambique. With an approximate population of 35 million people, Mozambique is endowed with rich and extensive natural resources but remains one of the poorest and most underdeveloped countries in the world.