Mozambique has qualified professionals to work in the natural gas industry – Government

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Mozambique has qualified professionals to work in the natural gas industry – Government

1:17 CAT | 11 Feb 2019

File photo: Notícias

Mozambique’s Minister of Science and Technology, Higher and Technical Vocational Education Jorge Nhambiu said yesterday in an interview with Lusa that Mozambique already had staff qualified to work on natural gas exploration in the initial phase.

“[The multinationals] want mechanics, electricians and carpenters and we have these professionals,” he said, arguing that there would be more demand for employees with technical education than for those with higher academic education.

Companies coming in already have the technology they need, and “what they need most are technicians who make things happen – not to design the projects [they have to implement],” Nhambiu said.

Mozambique’s major challenge is the hygiene and safety component, as the oil and gas sector has specific requirements.

“This electrician of ours, the one we are training here, is the one who is going to work on the gas exploration projects, but they [the multinationals] want better safety skills,” he said.

The Mozambican government has designed a programme to strengthen safety and hygiene at work in the technical education curriculum in response to the requirements.

Despite the emphasis on technical education, Mozambique is “targeting higher education courses in the oil field,” the minister said.

“For example, Eduardo Mondlane University (UEM) has opened a centre of excellence in the oil and gas industry that will offer Masters Degrees at first, but it is assumed that in a short time it will also offer PhDs,” he said.

The Mozambican government is thinking about establishing a higher education institution in Cabo Delgado, where natural gas exploration projects are being built and where, in three years, liquefied natural gas will be manufactured.

The Cabo Delgado project involves a higher education institution in Mauritius, Nhambiu told Lusa.

In addition to Mauritius, China is another of Mozambique’s partners in higher education, and gives the most scholarships to Mozambican students.

“China is an important partner in technical education teacher training,” Nhambiu noted.