Mozambique Ambassador to Indonesia: Mozambique Ambassador to Indonesia Carlos Agostinho Do Rosario
span class="caption" style="width: 332px;">Mozambique Ambassador to Indonesia: Mozambique Ambassador to Indonesia Carlos Agostinho Do Rosario.Mozambique Ambassador to Indonesia Carlos Agostinho Do Rosario was named the African country's new prime minister by President Filipe Jacinto Nyusi on Saturday (Sunday morning in Jakarta), a source from Maputo said.
'Ambassador Do Rosario was named prime minister of Mozambique on Saturday. He is already in Maputo,' the source told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.
Bloomberg confirmed the news about Do Rosario and the new Cabinet, quoting a presidential spokesman in Maputo on Saturday.
Nyusi, who won a national election with 57 percent of the vote in October 2014, was sworn in on Jan. 15 and has appointed several ruling Frelimo Party loyalists, including Do Rosario, in his new government. Nyusi replaced long-serving president Armando Guebuza.
Ambassador Do Rosario, a seasoned politician who became a diplomat, submitted his credentials to then Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Nov.6, 2009.
Prior to coming to Jakarta, he was agriculture minister.
A soccer fanatic, Do Rosario formed an African diplomats' soccer team in Jakarta and organized many tournaments.
'I used to play in Mozambique's junior national soccer team. I've always loved soccer,' Do Rosario, who hung up his boots due to age, told the Post recently.
During his five-year diplomatic career in Indonesia, he convinced businesspeople and investors from Indonesia and Mozambique to tap the potential of both countries.
Based on data from Indonesia's Central Statistics Agency, bilateral trade between the two countries increased by more than 400 percent during the ambassador's tenure.
The trade, which is heavily in favor of Indonesia, surged to US$178.70 million in 2013, a huge jump from the level of $39.51 million when he took over as ambassador in 2009. In the last 10 months of 2014, bilateral trade reached $104.55 million.
Indonesia sees Mozambique, which is rich in coal and liquefied natural gas (LNG), as an important market in Africa, with the value of its exports jumping to $120 million in 2013, an increase from $27 million in 2009.
Recent discoveries of LNG in Mozambique indicate it may become the world's third-largest exporter in the coming years.
Indonesia has exported cement, garments, palm oil, electronic goods, furniture, paper and tires to Mozambique.
Pertamina and the Bakrie Group have shown interest in Mozambique's gas fields.(++++)
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