The Minister of Economy and Finance, Max Tonela, today defended transparency in the exploitation of natural resources aimed at promoting social and economic development of the country.

"The exploitation of this potential must be done in a transparent way so that its benefits contribute, in the first place, to the elevation of the lives of Mozambicans, today and tomorrow," Tonela said.

The governor was speaking during the opening of the 8th edition of the Mozambique Conference and Exposition on Mining, Oil, Gas and Energy.

For the extraction of natural resources to be put at the service of the prosperity of Mozambicans, the executive is betting on strategies that promote the industrialization of the country and the participation of the national private sector in the value chain, he declared.

"We want the extractive industry to be the driving force of national industrialization, ensuring that our resources can be transformed into high value-added products, promoting more jobs and boosting the domestic market and exports," stressed the Minister of Economy and Finance.

In this sense, Max Tonela said that the Government has taken several measures to eliminate barriers to investment, ensure transparency and guarantee greater participation of the national and foreign private sector in the exploration of energy resources.

Tonela stressed that Mozambique has in natural gas an important asset to help the country, southern Africa and the world to undertake the energy transition to an era of greater preponderance of clean energy in the face of the emergency caused by the climate crisis.

"Mozambique's commitment to the climate agenda is unequivocal. We pay attention to the development of renewable sources, to diversify the national energy matrix and achieve the goals of universal access to electricity," emphasized the Mozambican Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy.

The conference that started today in Maputo brings together more than 200 participants from 21 countries, who for two days will discuss the challenges and opportunities in the mining, oil, gas and energy sector in Mozambique, under the motto "Sustainable development throughout the mineral and energy value chain, towards a future with low carbon dioxide emissions.