Mozambique’s Gas Economy from an Energy Transition and Sustainable Development Lense

The situation is further complicated by insecurity in Cabo Delgado, where the country’s largest LNG investments are located. Since the insurgency began in 2017, conflict has displaced thousands of people, disrupted livelihoods and forced major investors, including TotalEnergies, to suspend operations for extended periods. The result is a difficult balancing act: attracting investment while protecting communities, restoring security and safeguarding human rights.

At the same time, Mozambique faces a broader strategic dilemma. Like many African countries, it is expected to contribute to global climate goals while relying on fossil fuel resources to finance economic development. This tension raises fundamental questions about what a just energy transition should mean in practice. Can natural gas provide a pathway towards development while accelerating investment in renewable energy? Or does continued dependence on fossil fuel exports risk locking the country into an increasingly uncertain energy future?

These questions cannot be answered through investment alone. They require stronger institutions, transparent governance, meaningful community participation and deliberate efforts to ensure that resource wealth improves the lives of those living closest to extraction sites.

Mozambique’s experience offers important lessons for Southern Africa. Natural gas has the potential to contribute to economic transformation, but only if development is measured not by export volumes or investment figures, but by whether communities gain access to affordable energy, decent livelihoods, quality public services and a fair share of the benefits generated from their natural resources.

As countries across the region navigate their own energy transitions, Mozambique reminds us that the real measure of success is not simply extracting more resources. It is ensuring that those resources become the foundation for a more just, inclusive and sustainable future.