The President of the Republic, Daniel Francisco Chapo, on Thursday inaugurated the Fish Processing Unit of Mocímboa da Praia, in Cabo Delgado province, an infrastructure financed by French multinational TotalEnergies as part of its social responsibility. The inauguration took place on the same day that the Mozambique LNG – Golfinho/Atum Project in Area 1 of the Rovuma Basin was officially resumed, after around five years of suspension due to insecurity in the region.
On the occasion, the Head of State expressed satisfaction with the delivery of the infrastructure, highlighting the economic potential of the district and the province, stating: “We are very happy to be here to inaugurate and hand over this fish processing factory. As you can see, Mocímboa da Praia is a rich district. All districts of Cabo Delgado province are rich,” he said.
According to President Chapo, the unit was designed to serve not only Mocímboa da Praia but the entire northern coastal area of the province, including Palma and Quionga, allowing it to meet the needs of fishermen along the entire coastline.
The Head of State explained that, before the existence of the factory, fishermen faced difficulties in preserving fish, which compromised their income, especially that of young people. “Our fishermen, before this factory existed, had no way to preserve fish. Our young people would go to the beach, they had fish, but they had to sell it on the same day, because if they did not sell it on the same day, the fish would rot,” he said.
With the new unit, the President of the Republic highlighted the introduction of a logistics system that ensures the collection of fish at different points along the coast. “But today we have this factory to preserve our fish. We are very happy, because it is not only this factory, but we also have logistics made up of lorries that can collect fish in Palma, collect fish in Quionga, collect fish along our entire coast and bring it here to our factory,” he stated.
He further clarified that the inauguration of the factory is directly linked to the resumption of the natural gas project in Palma. “We did not come here today just to inaugurate this factory; we came to Cabo Delgado because the gas project in Palma, which is led by Total, has been restarted. That project that had stopped for four or five years has today officially resumed,” he declared.
The President of the Republic added that the fish processing unit represents a concrete gesture of direct benefit to the local population, associated with the resumption of energy investment. “And we decided that we are not only going to restart the project, but we also have to look for a gift to give to the population. And the gift we found is this factory that we have come to hand over to you,” he stressed.
In his address, the Head of State thanked TotalEnergies for the social investment, highlighting the impact of the infrastructure on job creation and income generation. “That is why we want to take this opportunity to thank TotalEnergies for this social responsibility of doing things for the population that multiply employment, generate income and create better living conditions for our people,” he said.
Finally, he reiterated the Government’s commitment to combating terrorism and consolidating peace in Cabo Delgado, underlining national solidarity. “With the resumption of the project, we will continue to work day and night to combat terrorism, create peace and stability, so that the population of Cabo Delgado can live in peace, because Cabo Delgado is Mozambique,” concluded President Daniel Chapo, assuring that the Executive will continue to create conditions for more investment and job opportunities for young people.
Source: Presidency of the Republic of Mozambique / Press Release