Maputo, Dec. 18, 2025 (Lusa) - The Mozambican president said on Thursday that confidence in the country "is growing every day" and that the foundations have been laid for the goal of "economic independence", starting with the ongoing resumption of mega gas projects.
"Logistics corridors, energy, gas, tourism, water and manufacturing industry form Mozambique's new economic architecture. Therefore, we can see that the major energy projects are advancing in a synchronised manner, all of which have been resumed during these eight months of work," said Daniel Chapo, who is presenting the annual state of the nation report in parliament this morning.
"Infrastructure is beginning to converge towards the production of wealth for the Mozambican people. Internal and external confidence is increasing with every passing day in our country. And the country is preparing for a cycle of structural transformation," he added.
He emphasised in his assessment, which also covers his first year in his term of office - he was sworn in on 15 January - that Mozambique "is entering a decisive five-year period" and that in 2025 "the foundations for a modern, competitive and productive country" will have been laid.
"Economic independence is no longer an idea, it is a process, it is a work in progress. Those who want to take a thousand steps must start with the first step. And we are already taking the first steps," he said, in a speech that focused on the fight against corruption.
"We are here to serve and not to serve ourselves. This is the cornerstone of this mandate," said Daniel Chapo.
He stressed that the gas sector, in which Mozambique is already one of the main producers in Africa, has experienced "historic" and "unprecedented" advances this year, following the lifting of the “force majeure” clause on TotalEnergies' gas megaproject in Cabo Delgado, four and a half years after its suspension due to terrorist attacks in the province.
"This will have a direct impact in terms of job creation, with an estimated 40,000 to 50,000 jobs, the development of national suppliers, tax and parafiscal revenues for the state, growth in the north of the country, stability in the balance of payments and transformation of our country's energy matrix," he added.
He recalled that Italian oil company Eni signed the Final Investment Decision for a new gas project in October, "demonstrating confidence in the country and reinforcing Mozambique's centrality in the global market," allowing "the expansion of national production capacity, diversification of export market routes, strengthening of public revenues, and consolidation of national competencies in the gas sector."
"It is a milestone that ushers in a new era for the gas industry in Mozambique," he said, adding that US company ExxonMobil "has also confirmed its plans to enter the market in 2026 with a transformative project that will bring massive investment, advanced technology and employment and training opportunities for thousands of young Mozambicans," also in Cabo Delgado.
With the three operators active, he said, "Mozambique is positioning itself as one of the world's major producers of natural gas," with total investments estimated at around US$50 billion. In this context, he pointed out the goal of having young Mozambicans "begin to take over the management" of these projects within 10 to 20 years.
Mozambique has three approved development projects for the exploration of natural gas reserves in the Rovuma basin, ranked among the largest in the world, off the coast of Cabo Delgado.
Eni's Coral Sul project is the only one in operation since 2022, with investment in a second floating extraction platform, called Coral Norte, approved in October, an investment of US$7.2 billion (€6.2 billion), which from 2028 will double production to 7 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) of liquefied natural gas.
After four years of suspension due to terrorist attacks in Cabo Delgado, the Mozambique LNG (Area 1) project, operated by TotalEnergies, worth US$20 billion (€17.4 billion), is in the process of resuming and is expected to produce up to 13 mtpa from 2029, followed by the US$30 billion (€26.1 billion) Rovuma LNG project (Area 4), operated by ExxonMobil, with 18 mtpa expected after 2030.
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