Africa-Press – Mozambique. The oil company ExxonMobil will finance the construction of a technology centre in the Mozambican capital, Maputo, to train oil and gas engineers, the Mozambican president announced yesterday.
“We believe this memorandum is very important. ExxonMobil will support the construction of a technology centre in Maputo with $40 million for the training of young Mozambicans,” President Daniel Chapo told journalists after visiting the headquarters of the American oil company in Houston, Texas.
According to President Chapo, who is on a working visit to the USA, the technology centre will be built next year near the Zimpeto National Stadium, on the outskirts of Maputo. The plan is to train at least 100 young people from all provinces of the country in oil and gas exploration.
The centre will include classrooms, onshore and offshore operation simulators, accommodation, a restaurant, a gym, and a health clinic, creating a comfortable environment for trainees.
“It will be a complete centre that will provide young people from all provinces with accommodation and training for about three years. The objective of this centre is to transfer the technology and knowledge that multinational companies possess in the oil and gas sector to Mozambicans,” said President Chapo.
He added that the training aims to place a qualified Mozambican workforce on the domestic and global labour market to work on megaprojects underway in the country and the region.
“The main resource we have to develop in Mozambique is human capital, and this human capital really needs knowledge. We believe that technical knowledge in the area of oil and gas is extremely important,” the president highlighted.
During his visit to the United States, President Chapo also announced a memorandum of understanding with ExxonMobil to provide $10 million to the Mozambican Hydrocarbons Company (ENH) to advance feasibility studies to maximise the use of domestic gas in the country.
According to the president, these agreements are “a very strong signal” from ExxonMobil, demonstrating its commitment to transferring “above-average” knowledge in oil and gas exploration, where the company already applies advanced technology.
“The country will undoubtedly become one of the world’s leading gas producers, and it’s important that this gas is operated and explored by young Mozambicans; that’s a great gain. Another advantage is the financing of feasibility studies, which will be led by ENH,” he said, emphasising the importance of this type of investment for the country’s industrialisation via domestic gas.
He added: “The overall contribution of these projects to our economy will be significant. We will see more revenue in state coffers through production and export taxes, and more Mozambicans employed,” referring to the benefits from these memoranda and the broader oil and gas projects.
Mozambique currently has three approved mega-development projects for the exploration of LNG reserves in the Rovuma Basin, among the largest in the world, off the coast of Cabo Delgado. These include one by TotalEnergies, which is resuming after a suspension due to regional attacks, and another by ExxonMobil, awaiting a final investment decision. Both projects are located on the Afungi Peninsula.
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