Local groups request for a meeting with TotalEnergies representatives in Palma

Businesspeople, Entrepreneurs, Economic Agents, and the General Community

Letter to the District Administrator of Palma

Palma, July 21, 2025

Your Excellency,

Following the recent developments regarding the resumption of the TotalEnergies project in Palma, specifically in the Afungi area, we have learned through national media reports that this resumption is being carried out in a manner that completely isolates the town of Palma.

We have also been informed that some companies currently providing services to TotalEnergies are being instructed to relocate from the town to within the company’s enclosed compound. In light of this, we respectfully request Your Excellency to facilitate a meeting with TotalEnergies representatives, with the following agenda items:

1. Status of Existing Investments:

Given the investments made by various companies with the aim of providing services to the project, what will be the fate of those investments under the current restructuring?

2. Socioeconomic Impact of the Project’s Return:

The presence of the LNG project in Palma District was expected to drive economic development for local communities. With this decision to isolate Palma, what will be the impact on people’s lives, employment opportunities, and the overall district economy?

3. Compliance with Local Content Law:

How does this decision align with Mozambique’s Local Content Law, considering that both local services and the local population are being effectively excluded from the project?

4. Contradictions with the Post-2021 Encouragement to Return:

Following the declaration of force majeure in 2021, many businesses were looted and vandalized. Both the government and TotalEnergies encouraged the return of investors and the local population through initiatives like the TUNAWEZA project. How can the current decision to exclude these same individuals and businesses now be justified?

5. Criteria for Service Provider Selection:

What are the criteria used to select companies to provide services to TotalEnergies? Why does it appear that being based in Palma is now a disadvantage compared to companies located in Pemba or even Maputo?

6. Security Concerns:

We greatly appreciate the notable improvements in the security situation in the district since 2022. However, we raise the following concerns:

a) If the decision was based on security, does TotalEnergies believe that the Afungi area is safer than the rest of the district, where the population and local businesses reside?

b) Does TotalEnergies not consider that this decision may increase discontent among the local population, particularly the youth, making them more vulnerable to influence by groups that could further destabilize the district?

We look forward to a favorable response and the opportunity to discuss these concerns constructively.

Yours sincerely,

[Signatures of Businesspeople, Entrepreneurs, Economic Agents, and Community Representatives]