The progressive security in Cabo Delgado should make it possible to resume contacts and draw up a new timetable for the Rovuma gas megaproject, the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, Max Tonela, said today.

The project was halted in March due to armed violence caused by insurgents.

"The teams are on 'stand-by' and it was necessary to demobilize several contracts to mitigate or minimize costs during the interruption period," the governor explained to journalists during a visit to the province.

"What we will do, following the normalization of the security situation, is to resume contacts to design the new schedule, but that will be done in due course," he detailed.

The resumption of the projects will happen as soon as "security and long-term stability conditions are assured," the minister also said, in line with what has been announced by stakeholders since March.

Asked by journalists whether the increased security corresponds to a secure perimeter around the gas projects, Tonela replied that tranquility must reach the entire province, without limits.

"The Government's objective is to have security in all the areas affected by the terrorist action, and this is also the perspective that we have with the concessionaires of the gas projects," that is, to allow "the populations to return and benefit from the projects," he said.

The Area 1 megaproject, led by the French oil company Total, the largest private investment in Africa (around $25 billion), is under construction and was scheduled to start in 2024, before the suspension in March.

Armed groups have terrorized Cabo Delgado province since 2017, with some attacks claimed by the extremist group Islamic State.

Lusa Agency