Merec Builds First Pasta Producing Plant in Northern Mozambique

Invictus Investment Company has announced that its subsidiary, Merec Industries, is building the first pasta manufacturing plant in Nacala, northern Mozambique. The plant will significantly expand Mozambique's pasta production capacity and bring production closer to consumers in the north. This development is part of Invictus Investment's growth strategy to expand Merec's operations into new food categories in Mozambique and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region.

The new plant will enable Merec to meet Mozambique's national pasta demand from local production and export the surplus. Nacala is home to a deep-water port and serves as the gateway to the Nacala Logistics Corridor, which links Mozambique to Malawi and Zambia. The plant's strategic location will also create direct and indirect jobs, develop local skills, and involve businesses across the value chain.

Merec's operating performance has improved significantly since it joined Invictus Investment in January 2025. This improvement has prompted a more ambitious growth strategy to expand Merec's operations beyond its core operations. The company's Chief Executive Officer, Amir Daoud Abdellatif, stated that completing Merec's pasta manufacturing footprint across Mozambique brings production closer to consumers and provides the local capacity needed to build a more resilient food business.

The pasta plant is part of Merec's efforts to strengthen its ability to supply the national market and contribute to Mozambique's objectives of promoting local production and import substitution. Merec's Executive Board Member, Luís Aveleira, emphasized that pasta is part of the basic food basket of Mozambicans. The company aims to help ensure that Mozambique has the capacity to meet the needs of its own market, reducing its dependence on imported products.

In October 2026, Invictus Investment and Helios Investment Partners announced that Helios Fund V had entered into an agreement to acquire up to a 49 percent interest in Merec's holding company. Invictus Investment will remain the majority shareholder, and the transaction is expected to close by the end of 2026, subject to customary closing conditions. This partnership is expected to support Merec's growth strategy and expansion plans.

Merec and Invictus Investment have also signed cooperation agreements with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, to advance agribusiness in Mozambique and across Africa. These agreements were signed at the Lusophone Africa Investment Forum in Cabo Verde in October 2026. The partnerships aim to support the development of Merec's operations and contribute to the growth of the regional food platform.

The new pasta plant in Nacala is expected to create jobs, stimulate local economic growth, and contribute to Mozambique's food security. The plant will also increase the availability of high-quality fortified pasta in line with the country's national food fortification requirements. With industrial facilities in the north, central, and south regions, Merec is strengthening its ability to supply the national market and contribute to the country's objectives of promoting local production and import substitution.

Key points

• The new pasta plant will enable Merec to meet Mozambique's national pasta demand from local production and export the surplus.
• The plant's strategic location in Nacala will create direct and indirect jobs, develop local skills, and involve businesses across the value chain.
• The partnership with Helios Investment Partners and the IFC is expected to support Merec's growth strategy and expansion plans.