Contradictions to decent African jobs under energy transition-related extractivism: The case of graphite mining in Mozambique

Abstract

The power of African labour to bargain for better terms of employment is an important precondition to ensuring decent jobs under energy transition-related resource (ETR) extraction and the global renewable energy sector more broadly. Through the lens of graphite mining communities in Cabo Delgado Province in Mozambique, this article examines the socio-economic contradictions constraining the power of residents to negotiate decent jobs from ETR projects in Cabo Delgado and other regions of the country. Six principal but intertwined contradictions are identified, including regional antipathies and limited livelihood alternatives, engaging energy transition discussions in Mozambique on the issues unfolding at the local level which inhibit workers from negotiating decent jobs. A micro-level perspective to examining challenges to decent African jobs enables critical reflection on the local aptness of climate change policies, such as the energy transition, which are predominantly discussed at the global, regional and national levels.