Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi is confident that the US oil and gas company ExxonMobil will return to the liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in Area Four of the Rovuma Basin, off the coast of the northern province of Cabo Delgado province.
ExxonMobil has not yet submitted its final investment project, and it halted its activities in Cabo Delgado in 2021 because of the terrorist attacks that have killed thousands of people and displaced more than a million since 2017.
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“ExxonMobil is a partner of Mozambique and we are working together. The oil company has assured us that the question is not whether it comes back or not, but when it comes back”, the president said, speaking to the press, on Thursday, in Washington where he gave a positive balance of his participation at the Second United States – Africa Summit.
Given the anti-terrorist actions implemented by the Mozambican Defence and Security Forces and their allies from Rwanda and the Southern African Development Community Military Mission (SAMIM), Nyusi said “ExxonMobil recognizes the efforts that are taking place in Mozambique, and I hope that at any moment they will resume their activities in the country.”
Nyusi also said that the world has a positive expectation about Mozambique being a Non-Permanent Member of the United Nations Security Council, although each country has its own interests.
“One of the remarkable moments is that the world has a positive expectation towards Mozambique. Also interesting is the appreciation from all continents for the fact that Mozambique is a Non-Permanent Member of the United Nations Security Council” he said.
Elected unanimously by all members of the United Nations, last June, with 192 votes, Mozambique, replacing Kenya as the African representative, will take the seat on January 1st for the 2023-2024 biennium.
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“Mozambique has shown its vision of how it wants to work. We may not even meet the expectations of other countries; each one has its own interests. But we will try to choose the fairest path”, he said.
In his meeting with Nyusi, the US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, said “We are very much looking forward to our collaboration when Mozambique becomes a member of the United Nations Security Council in January, but we’re also strong partners – strong partners in helping Mozambique build stability, strong partners in building out global health together, dealing with food insecurity, and we really welcome that partnership”.
