On Wednesday, June 11, in Maputo, the General Manager of TotalEnergies in Mozambique, Maxime Rabilloud, called for stronger private sector commitment to promoting female leadership in the context of the country’s energy transition. His remarks were made during the Summit and Open Lecture of the Women in Clean Energy and Climate Action Network, an initiative of MWE—Mozambique Women of Energy.
According to an official statement, the French multinational’s representative — whose company leads the Mozambique LNG project consortium — emphasized that “it is impossible to develop projects truly rooted in Mozambique’s social reality without the active inclusion of women, who represent more than half of the population.”
He also shared internal progress data from TotalEnergies: “In 2018, 20% of our top executive positions were held by women; today, that figure has risen to 30%,” he noted, describing it as “an important, but insufficient step forward. Our goal must be parity,” he stated. Among the current initiatives of the Mozambique LNG Project, he highlighted the international scholarship program for Mozambican students, which has awarded 100 scholarships in recent years — half of them to women, “with outstanding academic performance, which only confirms that we must continue to invest.”
Beyond corporate leadership, Maxime Rabilloud drew attention to the everyday energy reality of the majority of the population. He pointed out that around 70% of the country’s energy consumption is based on biomass (firewood and charcoal) and shared his direct experience with communities in Cabo Delgado province, where he tested, alongside local women, existing improved cookstove technology — a safer and more efficient alternative to traditional charcoal burning.
“These technologies significantly reduce smoke and carbon monoxide emissions, while also easing women’s physical burden, saving them time and protecting their health,” he emphasized.
“TotalEnergies thus reaffirms its commitment to an inclusive and sustainable energy transition model.” Mozambique, he said, “holds a strategic position in the company’s global energy diversification.” In addition to natural gas — which he described as “one of the cleanest in the world, with zero CO₂ emissions” — projects are also underway in renewable energy sectors such as solar, hydro, and bioenergy.
In closing, the TotalEnergies General Manager made a clear call for collective mobilization: “Touching the lives of hundreds of women is good. But we need to reach millions. And we can only achieve that together: companies, civil society, and government,” he concluded.
The Mozambique Women of Energy (MWE) project is a national platform launched in 2018 that aims to inspire, empower, and support young female leaders in the energy sector. The initiative is structured around four pillars — Think, Build, Connect, and Lead — and works in areas such as technical training, mentorship programs, access to funding opportunities, and networking events. With around 400 active members, MWE has received institutional support from organizations such as TotalEnergies, UN Women, APIEX, and IPEME, contributing to the development of a new generation of Mozambican women engaged in clean energy and climate action.
Source: Diário Económico
