Africa-Press – Mozambique. The Agency for the Integrated Development of the North (ADIN) signed a memorandum of understanding this Monday, September 1st, in Maputo City, with TotalEnergies EP Mozambique Area 1 Limitada, as operator of the Mozambique LNG project. The MoU aims to implement an income generation and employment program aimed at contributing to socioeconomic development in the districts of Palma and Mocímboa da Praia, with a view to improving the living conditions of local populations.
The income generation and employment promotion program is budgeted at US$10 million.
The program includes the following components:
The Minister of Planning and Development, Salim Valá, highlighted ADIN’s role as “a fundamental institution in the economic and social development of Mozambique, in the northern region of our country. Furthermore, conveying this initiative through ADIN, is a way to capitalize not only on the existing gains in the districts of Cabo Delgado province, but also to ensure that balanced development, the integrated development of northern Mozambique, is put into practice,” the Minister emphasized, then referring to the importance of diversifying the economy in order to foster other areas crucial to the country’s development, in addition to the exploitation of natural resources.
The President of ADIN’s Executive Committee, Jacinto Loureiro, noted that the memorandum reflects our country’s development policies, which aim to provide more jobs for the population. “The memorandum presents an innovation as it is signed by a national agency, ADIN, which represents the government, thus complying with national development policies,” said the ADIN CEO, who also reiterated ADIN’s commitment to effectively implementing the projects outlined in the memorandum of understanding.
In turn, Maxime Rabilloud, the representative of TotalEnergies in Mozambique, stated: “We want to contribute, through ADIN, to the government’s efforts to stabilize the lives and well-being of communities. The signing of this memorandum with ADIN marks our desire to strengthen and expand ongoing work through a more global strategy led by ADIN. Our goal is that, even before gas production begins, under our project, the communities of Palma and Mocímboa da Praia can continue to benefit from the opportunities created by the Mozambique LNG Project, operated by TotalEnergies, which, since 2022, has created approximately 8,500 jobs in sectors such as education, health, agriculture, fisheries, biodiversity, and commerce.”
The Governor of Cabo Delgado, Valige Tauabo, reiterated that the memorandum he witnessed on behalf of the people of Cabo Delgado renews hope and “our role is to coordinate and articulate with ADIN the implementation of the planned projects”, he said.
The program’s infrastructure component includes the development of basic infrastructure such as paved and earthmoving feeder roads, aiming to improve population mobility and the flow of produce to potential local markets.
The agriculture component envisages the development of agricultural cooperatives, contributing to increased production, processing, and market connections, with significant impacts on boosting local employment, particularly benefiting young people.
The biodiversity preservation component will focus on supporting local economic actors to promote proper management of environmental preservation areas, contributing to sustainable development and generating employment.
In the face of climate shocks and adverse factors, the community resilience component includes initiatives to support local economic ecosystems to enable humanitarian aid and support social cohesion initiatives.
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