The president of Mozambique Filipe Nyusi and the chairman and CEO of French oil major Total Patrick Pouyanné have agreed on this week to further strengthen security around the natural gas venture in Cabo Delgado, a source close to the government told Lusa.
“Total and the government are in agreement: what is going to happen is a reinforcement of security measures,” said the same source, without however detailing how that reinforcement is going to happen.
“The project is to continue, keeping to the planned dates,” i.e. starting operations in 2024, the Total source added.
The meeting on Monday, in addition to the president of Total, Patrick Pouyanné, and the president of Mozambique, Filipe Nyusi, was attended by Max Tonela, minister of mineral resources and energy, and the two ministers linked to the Defence and Security Forces: the interior minister, Amade Miquidade, and the defence minister, Jaime Neto.
Rebel groups that have been terrorising Mozambique’s northern province for three years have increased attacks in 2020 and have approached the construction site led by Total, leading to a slowdown in the project and the departure of staff at the end of the year.
This is the biggest private investment underway in Africa, estimated at between 20 and 25 billion euros, and it is one of Mozambique’s main hopes for development in the coming decades.
