TotalEnergies and partners in the Mozambique LNG project created a action plan to improve the living conditions of the populations covered by the project and affected by the terrorist insurgency in the province of Cabo Delgado, the French oil company revealed today.

The consortium decided to set up a Provincial Foundation to share the benefits in all the districts of the province without waiting for revenues from the production phase of the project.

"In order to sustain its action, this Foundation will be endowed with a multi-annual budget of 200 million dollars," reads the statement published today by the oil company.

Named "Pamoja Tunaweza" ("Together We Can" in Kiswahili) - which is now a development program - the entity will be chaired by a renowned figure in the field of local economic development and overseen by a Board of Directors that will include representatives from Mozambique LNG and civil society.

The decision follows a set of recommendations made in an independent report by Jean-Christophe Rufin, a doctor, diplomat and humanitarian expert.

However, actions aimed at the development of the people affected by the project in Afungi include an audit for resettlement and compensation; the construction of houses with solar lighting for the resettlement of the residents of the village of Quitupo by the end of the "summer of 2023"; the updating and inventorying of the people's assets and compensation (buildings, land and plantations); and the provision of the necessary documents for the payment of compensation by the end of the "summer of 2023".

"Given that Mozambique LNG's industrial facilities do not occupy the entire area of land granted by the Government of Mozambique, an area of around 2,000 hectares located on the outskirts of the site will be made available to local communities for agricultural activities," writes TotalEnergie, which promises to offer individual boats to Quitunda fishermen.

In addition, the report notes that the security situation in northern Cabo Delgado evolved positively in 2022 and recommends reviewing the framework of relations between LNG Mozambique and the Mozambique Defense Forces in light of this situation.

A mission to monitor the implementation of this action plan will be carried out by Jean-Christophe Rufin at the request of the Mozambique LNG project partners.