The managing director of TotalEnergies recognizes that the benefits derived from the exploitation of natural gas in the Rovuma basin in Cabo Delgado should primarily benefit local communities.

Maxime Rabilloud, quoted by VOA, considers it unfair that young natives are not given priority when it comes to hiring labor for the projects underway in the Rovuma basin.

"It's only fair that locals, especially young people, should have priority, at least in order to provide services that don't require a lot of specialization," said Rabilloud, quoted by VOA, adding that "the benefits derived from the exploitation of natural resources, in the first instance, should be felt by local communities, and then expanded to the rest of the country.

The CEO of TotalEnergies said that this was the company's new vision, "I think it's right that everything we want to do, every step we have to take, should be done together, it's necessary for the people of Cabo Delgado to have work".

However, for analysts, this signifies an acknowledgement on the part of Total and the Mozambican government that there are serious problems of exclusion and development there.

According to economist and political analyst Custódio Dias, young people in Cabo Delgado have been complaining for a long time that they are being passed over when it comes to hiring labor, with people from outside the province being given priority, even for service companies, and the Mozambican government is to blame for this, because it allows this to happen.

However, for the economist and political analyst, the government has always denied that the war in Cabo Delgado has some internal causes, "and the discontent of young people, because they feel excluded, can be capitalized on by the jihadists".

For his part, sociologist and political analyst João Feijó believes that TotalEnergies' new vision means recognizing that in Cabo Delgado there are problems of exclusion and development, which are some of the causes of armed violence in that province.

For his part, the provincial governor of Cabo Delgado, Valigy Tauabo, did not hide his satisfaction with the announcement made by TotalEnergies, pointing out that "this vision of Maxime Rabilloud is welcome, because it doesn't make sense that for activities that don't require specialization, people are hired from outside the province".