Mozambique’s government wishes to strengthen the capacity of national companies and technicians to increase their participation in energy projects, highlighting the opportunities created by the new local content law.
“There are always opportunities, and we have recently passed the local content law, which creates space for national companies and technicians to participate in the various stages of project development,” Marcelina Mataveia, the national director of energy, told journalists.
She was speaking during the third edition of the Energy Club on Thursday evening in Maputo, dedicated to the financing and development of power generation projects in Mozambique, under the theme “From Idea to Financial Closure”, chaired by Samir Salé, Director-General of Globeleq Energia Mozambique.
According to Marcelina Mataveia, national participation should extend from the design phase through to the implementation of the projects, including the supply of goods and services by private Mozambican companies.
The national director of Energy also advocated strengthening the country’s technical capacity to meet the demands of major energy projects and cope with the impacts of extreme weather events, through staff training and the construction of more resilient infrastructure.
“The idea is precisely to continue to facilitate capacity-building. Our companies must be prepared, and our engineers must be ready to provide a response commensurate with the need,” she stated.
On the same occasion, the chair of the Mozambican company KKZ Group, Gerson Machel, proposed creating a permanent platform to prepare businesses for future investments in the sector.
“Set up a permanent forum for business preparation for energy projects, where future opportunities are presented in advance, and national companies can familiarise themselves with the technical and financial requirements and the necessary certifications for participation,” he said.
According to Gerson Machel, the early preparation of domestic companies will help to reduce risks, increase competition and improve the quality of local suppliers, whilst also contributing to greater retention of the economic benefits of investments within the country.
He further maintained that project designers should incorporate local content right from the design stage, rather than only at a later stage of implementation, enabling Mozambican companies to take on responsibilities in areas such as engineering, technology, logistics, construction and maintenance.
The discussion took place against a backdrop of expanding access to electricity and growing attention to strengthening infrastructure resilience in the face of extreme weather events.
Eletricidade de Moçambique (EDM) estimated that 598 million meticais (€8.1 million) would be needed to repair infrastructure damaged during the last rainy season, between October and April, a period in which it recorded losses of 145 million meticais (€2 million).
The state-owned company has since established a rapid-response unit for natural disasters and remains committed to achieving universal access to electricity by 2030. The national electrification rate has reached 66.4%, whilst EDM plans to install at least 420,000 new connections by the end of 2026, benefiting around two million people.
Follow the story
