On September 20 at the Columbia Africa Conference in New York, I listened to President Daniel Chapo outline Mozambique’s vision to become a Southern Africa energy powerhouse. His goals are ambitious: universal energy access by 2030, massive LNG exports, and a domestic energy boom to power economic growth domestically and in the Southern Africa Development Community.
Why this matters
Mozambique faces a big opportunity: 180 trillion cubic feet of gas reserves in the Rovuma Basin gas fields on the northern coastline can make it a major player in the global LNG market. These new gas field developments and exports will generate substantial revenue streams and, in turn, provide a fresh injection of tax revenues that the government can allocate towards its development goals.
What are the Rovuma Basin gas fields?
The Rovuma Basin is home to a gas depot on the northern coast of Mozambique. It has been divided into four areas. TotalEnergies is leading the development in Area 1 and onshore processing in the Mozambique LNG project. ExxonMobil is developing capacities in Area 4 and has onshore infrastructure for processing at the Rovuma LNG terminal in a shared location with TotalEnergies. Italy’s Eni and China National Petroleum Corporation are also involved in developing the gas fields.
Following a pause in LNG infrastructure development in 2021 after violent attacks and very serious ongoing security risks, TotalEnergies may soon restart its $20 billion LNG project, with US EXIM Bank reauthorizing $4.7 billion in financing. ExxonMobil has not yet announced a final date for resumption of infrastructure development, but has indicated that it will resume in 2026.
Mozambique’s Rovuma Basin gas fields and LNG project locations (Source: S&P Global)
The scale of President Chapo’s ambition
President Chapo’s targets set a clear dual domestic ambition: 100% electricity access by 2030 (up from 60% today), and at the same time, maximizing Rovuma Basin LNG exports that could bring a total of $50 billion in investments, more than double Mozambique’s $22.5 billion GDP.
Progress is already visible. The World Bank’s ProEnergia project connected about 9.5 million Mozambicans between 2018 and 2024, nearly doubling electricity access from 31% to 60%. In September 2025, Mozambique secured World Bank backing for a $6 billion hydroelectric plant — Southern Africa’s biggest hydro project in 50 years. This momentum demonstrates how Mozambique is beginning to tap its vast energy potential.
What to watch
With connections surging and mega-projects advancing, Mozambique’s energy sector is transforming rapidly. But success depends on whether industrial development and regional demand keep pace with supply. Three questions stand out:
- Can Mozambique achieve its ambitious connection targets, and will they be conducive to growth? Jumping from a 60% to a 100% electricity access rate requires maintaining an impressive pace for the next five years. Even if Mozambique achieves near universal access, connections alone do not guarantee economic growth. Unless business receives reliable, affordable power, new connections won’t translate into increased consumption for citizens.
- Is an expansion of Mozambique’s distribution the answer to Southern Africa’s energy problems? Already a net power exporter, Mozambique could significantly expand its role as the region’s electricity provider, addressing bottlenecks that constrain economic growth. Zimbabwe needs baseload power, Zambia has faced hydroelectric shortages, and South Africa has historically battled load-shedding.
- How will Mozambique balance competing development partners? The World Bank leads Mission 300 to increase electricity access, China builds infrastructure, and the U.S. and Europe back LNG projects. Each has different priorities. Mozambique will have to find a way to balance all these partners for its domestic benefit. If it can, Mozambique can fulfil President Chapo’s vision of becoming an energy giant and using its resources to drive its own economic growth.