The newly installed President of the Republic of Mozambique, Daniel Chapo, appointed Stephen Tomás Rafael Pale as new Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy.
It is a widely known figure in the corridors of the energy industry and not only. Stephen Pale is a senior in the sector, with over 35 years of experience in geology and mines, of which just over 10 years in the oil and gas sector. Pale led several organic units in the sector, having been National Director of Mines, Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy for long years. In the latter role, he was responsible for the design and implementation of the project to support the development of the geological and mining sector, funded by the World Bank.
Stephen Pale assumes the reins of the mineral resources and energy sector in a challenging political and social context, in which Mozambique seeks ways to develop several projects considered structural in the economic and social level of the country, with particular emphasis on the recovery of the Golf/Atum Project of Area 1 of the Rovuma Basin. Whether in the mining sector, as well as in the oil and gas production component, associated with the government's efforts to diversify the national energy matrix, by increasing electricity production, to be made possible, for example, by the Mphanda Nkuwa hydroelectric initiative, a project whose financing and strategic partnerships were identified in 2023, there will be challenges ahead for the new leader of the sector.
Speaking during the inauguration ceremony, Pale recognizes that there are indeed challenges, but work and results must be expected from him. "The tasks are huge, the challenges are growing and the results must be immediate," Pale said.
The new Minister has already received from Carlos Zechariah, the outgoing Minister, the portfolios with the most relevant information on the sector, including the main achievements and priority actions for the coming times.
Estevão Tomás Rafael Pale, a Master's in Financial Economics from the University of London, holds a graduate degree in Mine Engineering from the Camborne School of Mines, also from England, and a degree in Economics from the Eduardo Mondlane University of Mozambique.
It is recalled that the National Petroleum Institute is an institution under the Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy.
For more information, please contact the National Institute of Petroleum, located on Rua dos Desportistas No.259, Maputo, by numbers 21248300 or 839511000. You can also write to e-mail comunicacao@inp. gov.mz and visit our Facebook and LinkedIn pages to be aware of this and other outstanding subjects.
