As the Trump administration redraws the global economic map, Europe is scrambling to secure alternative trade routes, critical minerals, and energy sources.

Caught in the geopolitical crosswinds, the European Union now sees Africa—long overlooked—as key to its strategic autonomy and military reindustrialisation. At the center of this pivot is Mozambique.

Earlier this month, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas described a “very positive exchange” with Mozambique’s Foreign Minister Maria Manuela dos Santos Lucas — as pictured in the X post above. “EU-Mozambique cooperation is broad,” she said, “from infrastructure to jobs and security. We stand with Mozambique for reforms and national reconciliation.”

But the view on the ground tells a different story.

Extraction Without Transformation

European companies—especially from France, Italy, and Portugal—have poured billions into Mozambique’s lucrative natural gas reserves, particularly in the Rovuma Basin. Yet while profits flow out, benefits for the local population remain elusive. Roads, schools, hospitals, and energy access have seen only marginal improvement.

Critics argue that the EU’s relationship with Mozambique is still defined by extraction, not development. Civil society voices and academics in Maputo call the pattern neo-colonial: Africa as a source of raw materials, with little reinvestment into transformative infrastructure.

A Colonial Legacy Revisited

These dynamics echo deeper historical wounds. Mozambique was a colony of Portugal for nearly five centuries—one of the longest colonial relationships in African history.

The Portuguese extraction economy left the country with limited infrastructure and a legacy of centralised, exploitative systems. When Mozambique gained independence in 1975, it inherited a shell of an economy and few institutions geared toward national development.

Now, Portugal once again plays a leading role—this time as an EU member state backing resource deals and gas extraction projects. For many Mozambicans, it feels like a rebranded version of a familiar past: foreign powers extracting value while offering promises of development that rarely materialise.

Words vs. Will

The EU presents itself as a partner in reform, reconciliation, and prosperity. But for cooperation to mean more than diplomatic photo-ops, it must address power imbalances baked into both past and present engagements.

Europe needs Mozambique’s resources. Mozambique needs real investment in its people, its institutions, and its future. If the EU’s pivot to Africa is to be credible, it must break with the colonial playbook—not repeat it under a modern flag.

For more insights into Africa’s shifting geopolitical landscape and the forces shaping its future, visit NOWinSA. Stories Shaping South Africa Today.