Mozambique Oil & Gas: “Anadarko promises jobs & contract, but how many will be local?” – Joseph Hanlon

On the resettlement at Afungi, Cabo Delgado, where a community is being moved to create a huge industrial area, 75% of the workers and 80% of the supply contracts are to be Mozambican, Anadarko vice president Steve Wilson told Anadarko’s meeting in Pemba on 10 August.

Steve says 3,000 Mozambicans have already been trained and $850 mn already spent with Mozambican companies. He said that 5000 jobs would be created in the construction phase, with a peak of 3500 Mozambicans in year 3. There will be 1500 jobs for the 30 year production period.

Many of the jobs will be cooks and guards, but many are skilled heavy machinery drivers, plumbers, tubing workers etc. How many Mozambicans have those skills, or can be trained?

Anadarko noted that for the next five years, it will have to provide 5000 to 30,000 meals per day, and invited proposals from local companies. The project also has huge other supply demands, from construction materials to boots to electronics – but how much can be supplied by Mozambican companies?

Anadarko did accept that problem that Mozambican companies do not have international certificates and cannot prove they are qualified. So it promised to provide training funds and support and help with certification.

There was a sharp fall in SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) supplying goods and services to the giant mining, hydrocarbon and metallurgical firms, according to the General State Account (CGE) of 2017. In 2016 there were 395 firms with $376 mn in contracts, but in 2017 this fell to 217 SMEs with $105 mn in contracts. (O Pais 26 July)