Estratégia de desenvolvimento da Empresa Nacional de Hidrocarbonetos: numa perspectiva de reestruturação

Abstract

Analyzed the genesis and object that ENH (National Company of Hydrocarbons of Mozambique) had since its creation, namely the prospection, transport, commercialization of hydrocarbons, as well as the execution of the national petroleum policy and the constitution of partnerships with all the foreign companies operating in the sector, it is concluded that its privatization is not opportune, at the risk of giving incapable citizens the management of a public domain asset, whose supply should not always be governed by the principle of profit, but rather for social and economic interests of users. On the other hand, there are State interests to be safeguarded, but which would be threatened or ignored by private citizens. The adoption of privatization would favor the loss of control by the Government of the exploitation of the very rich reserves of natural gas, of the oil potential that the country has and not only that, but would also dilute the Government's control of a strategic company such as ENH. The National Hydrocarbon Company, EE, referred to as ENH for short, was created by Decree number 18/81, of October 3, with the objective of providing the State with the “capacity to organize research programs, coordinate the participation of foreign companies and act in association with them”. Parallel to this objective, the prospection, research, development, production, transport and commercialization of hydrocarbons falls within the scope of ENH. As a result of the restructuring of the State's business sector, ENH was transformed into a Public Company in 1997, by Decree number 37/97, ​​of 12 November. The development of the hydrocarbon sector, which was accelerated by the increase in foreign investment, associated with the market economy policy adopted by the country, today raises new reflections on the development of ENH, to which the contribution of this work is added.