Mozambique will digitize all government services, modeling its approach on Kenya and Rwanda in a bid to consolidate revenue collection and improve the country’s competitiveness, President Daniel Chapo announced Tuesday.
Speaking at the opening of Mozambique’s first national conference on digital transformation in Maputo, Chapo framed the initiative as a governance overhaul rather than a technological upgrade. “Countries are not transformed only through physical infrastructure,” he said. “They are also transformed through digital infrastructure that connects citizens to the state and to opportunity.”
The program will integrate government systems to improve public service delivery and strengthen economic competitiveness, according to a presidential dispatch. Citizens and businesses will be able to access services — including identity documentation, licensing, tax payments and business registration — remotely through interoperable platforms and a centralized citizen portal.
Mozambique is looking to Kenya and Rwanda, both of which have moved aggressively to put government services online. Rwanda has placed nearly all public services on digital platforms, enabling cashless payments through mobile money and minimizing in-person interactions with civil servants. Kenya has similarly centralized payments through M-Pesa and other digital channels, covering services ranging from passport applications and land registration to driver’s license renewals and court processes.
The Mozambican program calls for the creation of a Multi-Sector Technical Commission on Digital Services, tasked with drafting a national roadmap to integrate public digital systems by mid-2026. The commission will catalog existing platforms, promote interoperability across institutions, eliminate duplication and define a unified national integration strategy.
Chapo acknowledged that fragmented systems and non-communicating databases have created inefficiencies and administrative burdens for citizens. “There must be no technological islands within the state,” he said.
Officials say deeper digital integration could cut bureaucratic delays, enhance transparency and improve Mozambique’s investment climate as the country seeks to expand private-sector participation and align with regional digital trade frameworks under the African Continental Free Trade Area.
Chapo also linked the digital reform effort to disaster preparedness, citing the need for early warning systems, digital coordination platforms and secure preservation of administrative records. Several provinces are currently recovering from recent flooding. “Early warning systems, emergency coordination platforms, and territorial planning can make the difference between tragedy and the protection of our communities,” he said.
Mozambique has established a dedicated Ministry of Communications and Digital Transformation to lead the program. Officials acknowledged the initiative will also require expanded infrastructure, improved digital literacy and sustained financing.
The scale of the challenge is significant. Mozambique ranks 177th out of 193 countries in the 2024 U.N. E-Government Development Index, with a score of 0.2848 out of 1 — well below the sub-regional average of 0.3903, the African average of 0.4247 and the global average of 0.6382. The country was also placed in the third tier of the 2024 International Telecommunication Union Global Cybersecurity Index, indicating significant room for improvement in law, technology and capacity building. Only about 25% of Mozambicans currently have access to the internet.
