In Cabo Delgado province, northern Mozambique, 4 massive LNG projects have been planned since the discovery of offshore gas reserves in 2010. One is operational, and another, the Mozambique LNG project, is in the construction phase. Communities were coerced to relocate when their land rights were allocated to the project, and are severely affected by nonachievement of promised compensation by the project company, loss of livelihoods in agriculture and fisheries, and the destruction of the ecosystem which they depend on for wild foods, medicines and building materials. Furthermore, sociological, economic, and political grievances have not been addressed regionally or nationally, and the widespread structural poverty has worsened. Insurgency has developed in the region, becoming violent in 2017, associated with severe violations of human rights inflicted on civilians by both the insurgents and the military deployed for the protection of the project sites. Alongside this, the Mozambican government suffers from a huge, increasing debt.

Japanese public institutions (JBIC, JOGMEC, NEXI), ECAs from other countries, and commercial banks invest in this gas project. Japanese companies will purchase 30% of the gas produced in this project and consume or resell it inside and outside Japan.

Due to a massive insurgent attack near the project site in 2021, the project company declared “force majeure” and the development had been halted for almost four years. Despite numerous unresolved issues, the resumption of the project was announced officially in January 2026. Since this gas project carries enormous risk, it is critical to ask whether it is ethical and financially rational to continue its development.

With all these problems, is it worth continuing with this gas project?