Expanding its footprint and driving growth remains a strategicpriority for the Mesquita Group. According to Celso Mesquita, operations administrator, business activities have faced challenges in recent years largely due to some external and interal factors affecting the national economy. The Group, he said, remained optimistic about its future in Mozambique. “While we have experienced a temporary slowdown there are signs of recovery and stability. It is also important to note the ongoing infrastructure improvements taking place,” he said. “There are plans to enhance the national road network across the country, which is excellent news for the logistics sector and transporters as a whole.”The Mesquita Group has also been actively investing in its operations, recently launching a new tipper service to transport minerals from South Africa to Mozambique. “We have expanded our facilities and operations and are now active across three main corridors in the region – Maputo, Beira and Nacala,” said Mesquita. “Additionally, we’ve introduced new technology and upgraded our systems. Our freight management system, complete with a customer portal and integrated solutions, has significantly optimised our operations.”He said the company continued to focus on partnerships and collaboration to ensure a broader service offering and scale, while it had also diversified services in recent years to provide integrated logistics services in order to offer a one-stop-shop solution that included planning, vessel and cargo agency, cargo handling, storage and final distribution. “This has allowed us to change our focus to ensure we are able to deliver an end-to-end service to our customers.”Mesquita said oil and gas remained pivotal sectors in the Mozambican landscape and companies were monitoring developments in this regard. “We believe there will be numerous opportunities from the oil and gas business, although strong regulatory measures will be required to ensure a transparent environment. We anticipate that there will be some changes for our sector, and once the newly elected government is in place, we expect to see the first of these come through.”He noted that while plans were in place to improve the roads, these upgrades could not come soon enough, as the current state of the road infrastructure posed significant challenges. Border posts also remain a major obstacle, with long waiting times for transporters. “These delays impact our business by driving up costs and introducing unpredictability into our services,” he said. “Additionally, since we transport valuable commodities, trucks stranded at border posts can become targets for criminal activity.”According to Mesquita, economic volatility and a shortage of foreign currency in some markets also present challenges for logistics companies. “We believe that increased harmonisation in the region, and the implementation of one-stop border posts, will significantly improve the f low of cargo in southern Africa, ultimately reducing costs and delays.” LV
