By Mark Marucchi, General Manager, Schneider Electric Mozambique
16 May 2024,
Mozambique is set for some exciting growth in the coming years. In fact, according to the Mozambican government, the southeast African country’s economic growth (in 2023) surpassed the regional average of the South African Development Community (SADC).
“Economic growth for 2023 reached 5%, compared to 4.4% in 2022, driven by extractive industries, tourism, agriculture, transport and communications, among others,” said the Mozambican government.
It sets the scene for an optimistic trajectory; however, the country is also facing a skills gap in various industries which makes a firm case for the development of local talent and the need for experienced personnel on the ground.
To understand the present
The country’s history of civil war has significantly impacted local communities and the national education system, resulting in a large portion of the population only achieving primary school education.
The challenge therefore lies in the scarcity of individuals who have pursued education beyond primary school. A small number enter secondary education, and even fewer complete it to reach a level that qualifies them for university. Post-secondary vocational training is also limited, making it challenging to find candidates for technical roles.
The good news is the Mozambican government is addressing the skills shortage challenge by encouraging companies to invest in local communities through the provision of educational opportunities alongside large-scale projects. At Schneider Electric for example we’ve partnered with Don Bosco Mozambique to provide vital vocational training to the local workforce.
Furthermore, we’re hoping to with our locally hired personnel grow their expertise to such an extent that they can contribute to the entire continent.
Industry-specific skills development
Schneider Electric’s approach to skills development is to ensure our workforce is capable of working with advanced technologies that are becoming industry standard, and importantly, pertinent to Mozambique.
Predictive maintenance is a good example and relevant to multitude of Mozambican industries such as CPG (consumer packaged goods) and Energies and Chemicals. By leveraging data analytics and predictive algorithms, companies can anticipate equipment failures before it occurs, allowing for timely maintenance and reduced disruption.
Here, it is therefore important that Mozambique has the local technicians and resultant expertise to implement predictive maintenance. These skilled professionals can collect and analyse data, interpret patterns, and make informed decisions.
Importantly, these local teams will allow companies to effectively plan their maintenance, ensuring that spare parts are available, repairs are efficient, and production downtime is minimised more strategically.
Furthermore, the ability to predict equipment behaviour over specific time frames allow companies to schedule outages or repairs proactively. Whether it’s planning for the next 30 days or addressing an issue during off-peak hours, predictive maintenance ensures smoother operations and higher confidence in equipment reliability.
Combined with local expertise, predictive maintenance can make an indelible mark on Mozambique’s growing economy, enabling companies to proactive manage their assets, reduce cost and enhance productivity.
Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure Asset Advisor is powerful IoT architecture that helps businesses manage their assets more effectively. By logging the existing installed base on-site, the software can identify which assets need attention based on its age, usage and deployment.
This creates an installed base record that is invaluable for asset management. Ultimately, Mozambican companies will gain visibility into their assets across multiple sites, all centralised on a single platform.
