Speaking at a recent meeting on the issue of Local Content, Paulo Sousa, CEO of Mozambique bank BCI said: “These days, when we talk about ‘value chains’ and Local Content, what we should be talking about are terms such as corporate certification.” He added: “Customer certification requires a thoughtful process of corporate transformation and strategic change, needed to comply with a collection of requirements. Although often requiring investment, it should also be a priority for companies wishing to be a part of the value chain of major projects.”
There has been a recent impasse in the financing arrangements for a range of megaprojects in Mozambique, particularly in the oil and gas sector. But unlike many others, Mr Sousa sees the positives in these delays: “This is an advantage for SMEs, because they will have the time to prepare and be ready to meet the demands that will be made of them when the project is eventually given the green light. The challenge lies in making use of this breathing space to develop the necessary capacities and skills and, above all, to clearly and in conjunction with other companies in your sector of activity achieve dimension, adding capacities to be eligible for the many areas of activity required by major projects in Mozambique.
“There is a lot of work to be done and the potential is enormous – that is one of the strong points of SMEs in Mozambique. The successful implementation of viable projects in many countries worldwide is difficult because everything has already been done, the market is fully covered and there are no needs to be met. Mozambique still has many needs to be met and this should be viewed as an opportunity,” Mr Sousa concluded.
BCI’s strategy for Mozambique’s National Content Development Programme is part of a collection of solutions designed to back industrial companies and companies hosting. Major projects in Mozambique, geared to development, empowerment, technology transfer and such companies’ certification processes.
BCI has specialised desks to provide the necessary backing for domestic and foreign companies interested in investing in Mozambique. In particular, in the energy sector.
The Energy Desk
- Has a team of specialists to back the development of projects and business in the energy sector.
- Manages lines of credit for energy generation, export and commercialisation projects.
- Has specialised financial services for energy sector companies.
The National Content Desk
- Advises domestic companies interested in providing services to the value chain of large projects or megaprojects, in line with Local Content initiatives.
- Systemise and assist SMEs, across the whole of the process related with the certifications required by large/mega projects.
- Has specialised teams which are totally familiar with the domestic market.
The Infrastructures Desk
- Offers assistance for organisations and structuring of investment finance operations in the infrastructure sector.
- Has a specialist team which is totally familiar with the domestic market.
Particular reference should also be made to BCI’s recent introduction of yet another pioneering product in the form of its Saldo POSitivo BCI. This new credit solution, which is associated with the ‘POS daki product’, is geared to the needs of small and small-to-medium sized customers.
Further information
