The Return of TotalEnergies, From Hope to Reality – Strengthening Accountability and Inclusion in Mozambique’s Gas Sector

(Pictured: President of the Human Rights Commission)

Drawing on global experience, Dr Kabemba pointed to Norway as an example of how natural resources can be transformed into shared prosperity. “Gas can do to Mozambique what Norway did for its people,” he noted, stressing that this requires strong institutions, disciplined governance, and a clear articulation of national priorities. Mozambique must strengthen its institutional capacity and ensure that investors operate within frameworks that reflect sovereign development goals.

SARW Senior Advisor, Davie Malungisa, contributed critical insights from the hydrocarbons sector, emphasising the importance of vigilance in contract negotiations. He noted that the force majeure declared by TotalEnergies following the 2021 Palma attacks exposed deeper contractual and governance vulnerabilities in the Mozambique LNG project. The suspension not only led to significant delays and rising costs, but also disrupted the livelihoods of local communities—particularly fishing-dependent households—many of whom had already been resettled in anticipation of jobs and economic opportunities linked to the project.

While the lifting of force majeure signals a pathway to resuming operations, Malungisa cautioned that it remains a critical and uncertain transition point, dependent on government approval of revised plans and sustained stability in an insurgency-affected region. He stressed that this episode underscores the need for stronger contract design, improved state preparedness, and safeguards to ensure that communities are not left worse off—especially when anticipated benefits fail to materialise or are delayed, and livelihoods are disrupted in the process. He further underscored the need for highly detailed and inclusive local content frameworks, prioritising communities closest to project sites and extending benefits across all levels of the economy.

Central to the discussions was the role of GRM—not only as reactive tools but as preventive mechanisms that enable dialogue, build trust, and reduce the risk of conflict. SARW’s work across Southern Africa promotes such approaches, aligned with international standards including the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, with a focus on non-judicial mechanisms and equitable benefit-sharing. The organisation has a GRM Toolkit.

The issue of social justice also featured prominently. The President of Mozambique’s National Human Rights Commission, Albachir Macassar, emphasised the urgent need for the country to advance its National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights, particularly in the context of the oil and gas sector. He noted that while Mozambique has a strong legal framework, the real challenge lies in implementation. He further underscored the critical role of Parliament as a bridge between the government and citizens, stressing that where public trust is weak or uncertainty prevails, the conditions necessary for sustainable local and national development are undermined.

Sitting as panellists, community voices—especially youth—were clear and raised the urgency of benefit-sharing mechanisms. Participants called for access to training, project finance, and meaningful inclusion in supplier development programmes within the gas value chain. They emphasised that with women constituting at least half of the population, benefit-sharing frameworks must reflect this demographic reality. Skills transfer, employment creation, and technology transfer were identified as immediate priorities.

A representative of Mozambique’s National Oil and Gas Company (ENH) noted that efforts to identify opportunities for local economic development, including the establishment of a job portal, had begun as early as 2021. However, participants acknowledged that local companies still face significant capacity constraints. Addressing this gap—through targeted support, partnerships, and joint ventures—was identified as essential to enable meaningful local participation.

The issue of justice also extended to resettlement processes, with participants emphasising that these must go beyond physical relocation to ensure the full restoration of livelihoods, particularly for fishing-dependent communities whose economies have been disrupted.

This engagement forms part of SARW’s Action on Gas and Oil in Southern Africa (AGOSA) initiative, which advances a just energy transition, with a particular focus on the rights and livelihoods of coastal communities affected by offshore oil and gas developments.

As Mozambique navigates this pivotal moment, the roundtable underscored a clear message: bridging the gap between expectations and reality will require accountable governance, inclusive economic participation, and effective grievance redress systems that place communities at the centre of natural resource governance.