The government reaffirmed its commitment to digital transformation as one of the strategic pillars of the country’s development during the launch of the First National Conference on Digital Transformation.
Speaking on behalf of the National Institute of Electronic Government (INAGE), the deputy director-general and spokesperson for the event, Sérgio Mapsanganhe, highlighted that Mozambique is entering a “new era,” marked by a commitment to the digitization of public services to bring the state closer to citizens.
“The President of the Republic was clear: this is a new era in which digital transformation becomes one of the pillars of national development,” he said.
According to Mapsanganhe, a multisectoral commission is being set up to map public services, ensure interoperability between systems, and guarantee that services reach citizens “wherever they are.”
As part of the implementation of digital transformation, the government has defined five priority pillars:
1. Certification and digital signatures: to enable citizens to sign electronic documents without the need for in-person recognition;
2. Interoperability platform: considered the “brain” of public administration, it will enable rapid data exchange between systems;
3. Digital identity: for citizen authentication in online services, without the need to physically present an identity card (ID);
4. Electronic payment platform: will enable digital payment for public services;
5. Citizen Portal: where government and private sector services will be concentrated.
Agriculture and digitization
Regarding the digitization of the agricultural sector, Mapsanganhe explained that the process will be guided by a national macro plan and sectoral strategies. One of the first steps will be to map producers and production, allowing the government to know who produces, where, and in what quantities.
“Digitization will make it possible to map not only who produces, but also what will be produced. This helps with planning and decision-making,” he emphasized.
The initiative is in line with the Information Society Policy and its strategic plan, which includes around 120 information system projects in various sectors.
Digital inclusion and multimedia centers
According to the representative, to ensure that the digital transformation is inclusive, the government is expanding Community Multimedia Centers to all districts in the country, which will serve as digital resource centers for citizens without access to computers or the Internet.
The deputy director-general of INAGE acknowledged, however, challenges such as the lack of electricity and telecommunications infrastructure in remote areas. In this regard, he highlighted the “Internet for All” program, launched by the President of the Republic, which aims to provide Internet access to more than 90% of the Mozambican population by 2030.
When asked about the costs of digital transformation, he explained that the most important thing is to consolidate plans and only then precisely define the amount needed.
“Rather than asking how much it will cost, we need to have a good plan. Funding will come based on that plan,” he said, adding that there is already support from cooperation partners for initiatives such as the Citizen Portal and the interoperability platform.
The First National Conference on Digital Transformation, which takes place on February 11 and 12 in Maputo, brings together representatives from the government, private sector, civil society, and international partners to discuss strategies, investments, and experiences in the process of Mozambique’s digital modernization.
Source: Diário Económico
