SME’s should take advantage of gas exploration – president

Mozambique’s president on Friday called for the country’s small and medium-sized companies to be more competitive and take advantage of gas exploration in the Rovuma basin, saying the government would not adopt protectionist policies.

“Better use of local opportunities should not be made through protectionist policies that don’t enable and prepare national policies,” president Filipe Nyusi said at a seminar on local opportunities for the exploration of natural gas, in the northern Mozambican city of Pemba.

“We believe such an attitude does not favour the emergence of a healthy industry,” he said.

Nyusi also said small and medium-sized Mozambican companies should focus on reinforcing technical and professional qualifications.

“We believe that only by investing in offering fair opportunities can we, in the medium and long term, attract a significant participation from local industry with an ability comparable to providers of goods and services from other countries,” he said.The Mozambican people must “unite” so that the country can take advantage of the benefits of gas exploration and avoid the “curse of natural resources,” he added.Nyusi also pointed out that Mozambique will experience an “economic boom,” with more than US$30 billion (€26 billion) invested in the country’s natural gas sector by US oil company Anadarko, which is expected to make a final investment decision in the first half of 2019.

The government and the private sector are meeting in Pemba, Cabo Delgado, today at a seminar where US multinational Anadarko will present business opportunities adhering to the natural gas project to be developed in the country, and which may see its final investment decision in 2019.At the opening of the event, Max Tonela, Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy said that the event was the materialisation of one of the challenges taken up by President Nyusi at the time of his inauguration in 2015.

“We look forward to this event translating the vision of your Excellence on the way to move towards integrated and inclusive development and a full and sustainable exploitation of the resources of the extractive industry,” Minister Tonela said.The minister also said that the event was the result of a plan being developed with Anadarko since the government approved the start of the natural gas exploration project. Over a thousand participants have signed up for it.“With this event, we intend to provide a broad and integrated view on the natural gas exploration project, and to ensure that all Mozambicans can access information on the opportunities generated on an equal basis,” Tonela said, adding that the seminar brought together representatives from all sectors concerned.