The American multinational ExxonMobil said yesterday in Maputo that it will contract 70% from Mozambican companies to supply goods and services for the Rovuma LNG project to explore natural gas in Area 4 of the Rovuma Basin, in Cabo Delgado province.

Meeting with Mozambican and foreign suppliers, ExxonMobil Mozambique's Director of Public and Government Relations, Armando Afonso, explained that the idea is to promote local content, but also to raise national companies to a level where they can compete with foreign companies.

In this sense, he warned that the oil industry is so demanding that it will require national companies to organize themselves to meet the demand for services.

"That's why we believe that, by working together, we can enable national companies to offer security, catering, flooring and laundry services, among others, to the required standard," he said, quoted by the News.

The project is currently in the study phase, which will culminate in the award of the engineering, procurement and construction contract for the plant itself in Afungi, in the Palma district, he said.

This update on the progress of the project is so that Mozambican companies can follow developments and know which services can be demanded at each stage.