Vodacom Mozambique held its second Ethics and Compliance Conference on the morning of Thursday (9), bringing together representatives from the telecommunications, justice, financial, and technology sectors to discuss operational practices and models that ensure effective legal risk management in business activities.
During his opening speech, Vodacom Chairman Lucas Chachine emphasized the importance of maintaining ethics as a guiding value for organizations, even in a context of rapid technological innovation.
“We live in a time where digital architecture evolves at an accelerated pace, bringing new challenges that test the limits of responsibility and transparency,” he said.
Chachine also stressed that adopting ethical and compliance practices contributes to a healthy business environment, attracts both foreign and domestic investment, reduces the risk of corruption, and strengthens the country’s reputation.
Meanwhile, Lourino Chemane, Chairman of the National Institute of Information and Communication Technologies (INTIC), highlighted that among the main challenges faced by Mozambican companies are the absence of a consolidated legal framework and the need for ethical and professional education of employees.
“Cases such as the unauthorized disclosure of banking, medical, or personal information show that training and ethical responsibility still need to be reinforced across all sectors. Technologies are now used in every profession, and with that comes the obligation to know and respect ethical and professional principles,” said Chemane. He also pointed out the difficulty authorities face in obtaining electronic evidence of crimes committed on social networks, as much of the content is hosted outside the national jurisdiction.
To address these challenges, Chemane revealed that the government is developing legal and regulatory instruments, including the Cybersecurity Bill and the Cybercrime Bill, already reviewed by the Council of Ministers. The Personal Data Protection Law, currently under public consultation, will cover both citizens and entities handling sensitive information.
“There are also ongoing proposals for regulations on cloud computing, e-commerce, and digital certification, as well as processes to monitor and oversee cybersecurity in the country. Our goal is to ensure Mozambique has a legal and institutional framework that guarantees trust, transparency, and accountability in the use of technologies,” Chemane concluded.
Additionally, INTIC is conducting several awareness and digital education campaigns, aligned with the annual Cybersecurity Month in October, aimed at promoting positive behaviors in cyberspace and protecting personal data.
“Ethics is the foundation of good institutional governance”
Following the opening, Esselina Macome, Director-General of FSD Mozambique, delivered a lecture titled “Ethics and Institutional Governance in the Digital Era”, reinforcing that ethics remains the cornerstone of any solid organization.
“Even with systems, practices, and processes in place, if they are not defined ethically, we risk violating the fundamental principles of fairness, transparency, and corporate responsibility,” she warned.
Macome noted that the digital era imposes new legal and moral demands, requiring responsible conduct from both companies and professionals.
“We must ensure that we use technology correctly and for the benefit of society,” she said, advocating that digital ethics should be understood as a value system guiding organizational behavior online.
Finally, Macome emphasized the importance of investing in digital literacy, in an ethical manner, so that citizens not only understand how to use technology but also how to behave responsibly in the digital environment.
“If literacy once meant knowing how to read and write, today it must be digital — and necessary for all of us,” she concluded.
Text: Ana Mangana
