Local content
• Forum
Ricardo Aboud DIRECTOR MOZAMBIQUE AND ANGOLA, BAKER HUGHES
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.
Anicha Abdul MANAGING DIRECTOR, EP MANAGEMENT AND CONSULTANCY SERVICES
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.
Andrew Schnitzer da Silva CO-FOUNDER & CEO, ASCENDING LTD.
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.