Maputo — The Forum of Civil Society Organizations in the northern province of Cabo Delgado (FOCADE) has expressed its concern and disapproval regarding the government's decision to select Maputo as host for initial training at Mozambique LNG Academy.
The Mozambique LNG Academy, which will launch the initial training of 260 young technicians chosen to attend courses, was set up in an initiative by the French oil and gas company, Total Energies, in partnership with the Education Ministry, Matola Industrial Institute and Maputo Commercial Institute.
The conclusion of the courses will be followed by practical training at the Mozambique LNG Project facilities in Afungi, Palma District, Cabo Delgado Province.
This project is part of the technical vocational training programs and local content initiatives implemented by Total Energies, which heads the Mozambique LNG Project in Cabo Delgado, budgeted at about 20 billion dollars.
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The project had been forced to halt operations in 2021 following a major terrorist attack against Palma town. However, now the company has resumed the project, as the security conditions have improved.
In a statement, FOCADE considers it concerning that the initial phase of this training is taking place outside the province where the project is located, given that Cabo Delgado, and the city of Pemba in particular, possesses institutions, infrastructures, and technical capacity to host the initiative.
The organization believes that the decision raises questions about the true extent of the commitment to local content and the inclusion of host communities.
"Local capacity building should not be limited to hiring Mozambican workers; it must also ensure that opportunities for training, knowledge transfer, and institutional strengthening directly benefit the regions where major investments are being implemented", reads the note.
According to the document, initiatives of this scale should also contribute to strengthening existing training institutions in Cabo Delgado, enabling the province to develop a technical base capable of meeting the current and future needs of the gas industry.
"Conducting this training in Maputo represents a missed opportunity to boost Cabo Delgado's local economy, stimulate the use of provincial services, and bring young people closer to the reality of the project that is ultimately generating these opportunities", reads the document.
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FOCADE also calls on the government and TotalEnergies to review future phases of the program, ensuring greater decentralization of training opportunities "and prioritizing Cabo Delgado as a strategic location for developing skills linked to the project."
"A province that bears the impacts, challenges, and expectations associated with major investments must also be a hub for knowledge, training, and opportunities. Local content must be experienced by host communities, not merely proclaimed as a principle", reads the note.
