Max Tonela expects Mozambique gas exploitation to also have an impact on the continent

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Max Tonela expects Mozambique gas exploitation to also have an impact on the continent

2:14 CAT | 20 Jun 2019

The third panel of the US-Africa Summit debated “Africa on the Cusp of an LNG Boom” yesterday afternoon at the Joaquim Chissano Conference Centre in Maputo.

Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy Max Tonela said he hoped that the implementation of the Rovuma basin natural gas exploitation projects in Cabo Delgado would have an impact on the transformation of Mozambique, the countries of the southern region and the continent in general. Tonela said noted that transformational impact depended on many investments originating in the United States of America.

According to Tonela, the benefits of gas exploration in the north of the country must first and foremost accrue to the Mozambicans. The Mozambican government therefore planned to launch public tenders so that interested companies could contribute to adding value in the country, promoting local companies, and generating business opportunities through training focused on small and medium enterprises.

Recognising that Mozambique does not have much gas industry expertise, the government’s priority had been to train people, thereby maximising the jobs that Mozambicans could take. “We are developing with a vocational initiative Anadarko. It is possible to train professionals in a short time, and with relatively few resources, for the exploitation phase, who may then find opportunities to work in related areas anywhere in the world,” the minister said.

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Max Tonela said that, given the existing potential in the Rovuma basin, he expected additional projects to be come to light, helping make Mozambique one of the biggest gas producing countries in the world.

Still, he stressed, Mozambique does not want to be a country dependent on gas production. Rather, the exploitation of gas will contribute to leveraging the national economy, which must continue to be based on traditional methods.

By José dos Remédios