By: Van
Soul Addey
Mozambique has joined the
Southern African Development Community (SADC) Regional Working Group on Data
Protection through the National Institute of Information and Communication
Technologies (INTIC, IP), reinforcing its participation in regional cooperation
mechanisms on personal data protection.
The Chairman of the Board of
Directors of INTIC, Prof. Doctor Eng. Lourino Chemane, has been appointed as an
effective member of the Working Group, while the Head of the Data Protection
Department, Dr. Rosa Dique, will serve as an alternate representative.
The appointments follow the
guidance of the meeting of SADC Ministers responsible for Information and
Communication and Information Technologies, held on 26 June 2026 in Bulawayo,
Republic of Zimbabwe, during which Member States were urged to appoint their
representatives to the Regional Working Group on Data Protection.
Mozambique's integration
into the regional mechanism will allow the country to participate directly in
the sharing of experiences, knowledge and good practices among SADC Member
States, as well as contribute to discussions on the development and harmonisation
of policies, strategies, legislation and institutional mechanisms for the
protection of personal data across the region.
INTIC's participation comes
as the Draft Law on the Protection of Personal Data is before the Assembly of
the Republic, providing an opportunity for Mozambique to follow the experiences
of other countries in the region while sharing progress, challenges and
specificities of its national context.
The country's participation
in the Working Group is expected to contribute to strengthening its national
framework for personal data protection, safeguarding citizens' privacy and
promoting greater trust in digital services.
Through INTIC, Mozambique
has reaffirmed its commitment to regional cooperation and to building a safer,
more reliable digital environment aligned with the dynamics of digital
transformation in the SADC region.
