The Ministry of Education and Culture (MEC) has stated that the implementation of the Mozambique LNG National Training Programme in Matola does not compromise the planned investments for Cabo Delgado nor represent a shift in the government's strategy for the development of technical and vocational education in the province.
The government's response follows the announcement of the training of 260 Mozambican university graduates under the Memorandum of Understanding signed with TotalEnergies on 28 July. The decision to conduct the programme's theoretical component at the Matola Industrial and Commercial Institute raised questions regarding the relocation of the training away from Cabo Delgado.
In a statement, the MEC clarified that the choice of Matola was based solely on technical criteria and the need to meet the project's implementation deadlines.
"The decision to implement the initial phase of the training programme at the Matola Industrial and Commercial Institute follows a technical assessment of the existing conditions at the technical and vocational education institutions that were evaluated. This assessment concluded that the Matola Industrial and Commercial Institute currently has the necessary infrastructure, installed capacity, accommodation, workshops, laboratories and equipment required to ensure the programme's immediate launch."
The ministry maintains that holding the training in Matola is a temporary solution and assures that Cabo Delgado continues to benefit from major investments aimed at strengthening technical and vocational education.
The province currently has 14 technical and vocational education institutions, six of them public, which are receiving investments to improve infrastructure, equipment and laboratories. Ongoing projects include the construction of the Filipe Jacinto Nyusi Industrial and Commercial Institute in Namaua, the rehabilitation of the Pemba Industrial Institute and its Training Hotel, as well as the construction of a Gas Processing, Automation, Instrumentation and Industrial Electricity Laboratory.
The statement also notes that the partnership between the Government and TotalEnergies to train Mozambican professionals is not new. Over the past few years, 1,765 young Mozambicans have benefited from technical and vocational training programmes, scholarships and professional internships, representing an investment of approximately MZN 191.5 million.
"This partnership does not change the priority that continues to be given to the development of technical and vocational education in Cabo Delgado. On the contrary, it forms part of a broader effort to equip young mozambicans with the skills required by the Mozambique LNG Project, which has been underway over the past several years."
According to the MEC, the 260 trainees will be selected from all provinces of the country, including Cabo Delgado. The programme will consist of one year of training in Matola, followed by approximately two years of on-the-job training at TotalEnergies' facilities in Afungi.
The Government argues that this approach will meet the technical requirements of the liquefied natural gas (LNG) industry without delaying the project schedule and while avoiding the need to send trainees abroad for training. (MozaNorte)
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