The Mozambican government and the French oil and gas company Total Energies on Monday in Maputo signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) under which the two sides will establish a training programme for 2,500 young people, who will contribute to future projects the company plans to develop across the country.
Under the MoU, signed by the Mozambican Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, Max Tonela, and TotalEnergies Executive Committee member, Nicolas Terraz, the two sides will develop a wide range of actions, on the ground, to be translated into job creation, education and training with an impact in normalising and stabilising the northern province of Cabo Delgado.
“We want the villagers, the people and the region to understand that we are there to give them some prosperity. We want more young people from Cabo Delgado and Mozambique to be involved in the projects,” the TotalEnergies CEO, Patrick Pouyanne said, adding TotalEnergies wants more and more local content involved.
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TotalEnergies heads the consortium committed to building Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) facilities on the Afungi Peninsula, in the Cabo Delgado district of Palma. The company withdrew all its staff, in the wake of an attack by islamist terrorists against the town of Palma on 24 March last year.
Questioned about when TotalEnergies will resume its activities in Afungi, Pouyanne assured that security and stability have been achieved, but more progress is necessary to ensure that security is sustainable.
“Tremendous progress has been achieved and I would like to commend the Mozambican Defence Forces, and the Rwandan troops as well as the Southern African Development Community Military Mission (SAMIM) for the great strides made, but more is needed”, said Pouyanne.
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Pouyanne added that TotalEnergies is committed to helping Mozambique bring life in Cabo Delgado back to normal.
Nyusi stressed that the visit by the TotalEnergies CEO is very important, as both sides will assess the ongoing developments on the ground and work together.
When Nyusi visited Palma, the population requested him to ensure the freedom to move to other places such as Mocimboa da Praia, Mueda and also other destinations across the province without fear. Efforts underway are intended to ensure such a move.
