LOCAL CONTENT
By focusing on their local know-how and continuing to train Mozambicans, these successful companies are keen to develop the country as a whole.
Baker Hughes is the only service provider that has a portfolio active in all the streams—upstream, midstream, and downstream—in the oil and gas industry. In Mozambique, we are primarily in upstream and midstream. We are clearly a global company, but we place a central emphasis on our commitment to the countries where we operate and local content. This has been proved pivotal in this moment of crisis. As people have found themselves unable to travel, what keeps us alive is our portion of experienced in-country nationals that allowed us to maintain operations. Some 75% of our employees in Angola are Angolans; Mozambique is a still a green market, but we look forward to gradually replicating this model. Local content is also about in-country assets. We have facilities in Nacala, Maputo, and Pemba, so we are here for the long haul. Finally, being local means that we have a responsibility to develop the country. Since we set foot in Mozambique, we have been supporting universities, through scholarships for engineering students at Eduardo Mondlane University in Maputo and building a virtual lab for Lúrio University in Pemba. We are trying to identify the segments we can create more impact in, not only to help the industry, but the country as a whole.
We have had to really work hard to earn a space in our own market and build a reputation in the arena. Now, we are looking for partnerships that can cement our position. Partnerships are key in this business. We had to be realistic and look at the tiers below the large umbrella contracts, slowly building our partnership with international contractors. Our biggest asset is our local know-how, and this is what we can offer them. Our international partners will not want to get their hands “dirty” in conflict management and complex processes. EP Management and Consultancy Services already has the built-in processes, and we understand the local complexities and the management of locals. The market is big enough for everyone. We are a Mozambican machine. We have learned a great deal through experience, failing, improving, and perfecting our systems, processes, and services. We have built a robust working environment and have vast knowledge of local legislation, culture, and doing business here, which give us a great edge over our competitors. We are 100% Mozambican owned and have experience in the market and dealing with expatriates and locals. We also understand the standards and quality of services necessary to work with international companies. This has been part of our day-to-day running of the business.
I have been operating in Africa since 2000, and Ascending was created in Angola and Mozambique in 2017. It resulted from a management buyout of JSE listed company Adcorp Group, where at the time I was the regional manager for Angola and Mozambique. I took over in 2017 and inherited a team that I have been working with for the last seven years, building on continuity. Even though Ascending is three years old, we have clients that have been with us for 10 years. What changed was the mentality and the approach to doing business in these countries. With Ascending, we have become much closer to the local context. We have built strong relationships with local clients and formed partnerships with governmental bodies, such as signing an MoU with IFPELAC, the training body of the Ministry of Labor. We were honored to have President Nyusi inaugurate our training center up in Pemba, and we started working with government teams to identify clients and creating joint programs to integrate students and local workforce into the large multinationals, thus shaping a holistic approach toward local content development. Proximity to our clients and the government has proven to be a recipe for success, and we were able to experience three years of significant growth despite the crisis in the market.
LOCAL CONTENT
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Interview
Lourenço Sambo, General Director, Agency for the Promotion of Investments and Exports (APIEX)
APIEX is formulating different strategies to target and attract new investors into the country, support existing ones, and help achieve reforms to improve the business environment in the country.
read articleFocus: Heavy mineral sands (HMS)
The time is now
Mozambique is home to major mineral sands deposits, most of which remain unexploited. With demand for titanium, rare earth elements, and zirconium on the rise, heavy mineral sands projects in the country are now attracting significant attention from international mining companies, even in times of crisis.
read articleInterview
Janfar Abdulai, Minister of Transport and Communications,
The Ministry of Transport and Communications aims to make Mozambique a logistics hub in the SADC region by leveraging the country's strategic location, introducing friendlier regulation, and building robust infrastructure.
read articleFocus: Breweries in Mozambique
Beer battles
Although underdeveloped, Mozambique's beer industry has a long history and a bright future. Home to one of Africa's most-awarded beers, Laurentina, the country is now a battleground for Heineken and ABInbev, two of the largest beer companies on the planet.
read articleInterview
Custódio Mucavele, Country Program Officer Mozambique, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
IFAD is a UN-specialized agency that works with the government on agricultural transformation, with particular attention on developing value chains in the agriculture and fisheries sectors.
read articleFocus: Reforming the agricultural sector
On the right track
Mozambique's agricultural sector holds great potential for growth, but it is a sector beset by challenges. Although the government has implemented a host of reforms in recent years, more needs to be done to ensure a supportive business environment.
read articleB2B
Empowering smallholder farmers
ECA is a private agro-processing company and a greenfield venture made possible by AgDevCo, a social impact investor that promotes the launch of new agribusiness opportunities. Together, they are creating income-earning opportunities for Mozambican farmers and improving financial inclusion.
read article
