• Mozambique collaborates with the European Union under the TAIEX program to boost cybersecurity capacity.
• Five INTIC cyber incident response technicians undergo training in Portugal.
• Country ranks mid-tier in global cybersecurity index despite progress in cooperation and organization.

African countries are intensifying efforts to strengthen cybersecurity, as governments increasingly view it as essential to fully capture the benefits of digital transformation.

Mozambican authorities are relying on European expertise to reinforce cybersecurity. The government is advancing efforts to protect its national cyberspace against rising threats linked to accelerated digital transformation.

The Instituto Nacional de Tecnologias de Informação e Comunicação (INTIC) disclosed the initiative on Monday, April 13. The program forms part of the European Commission’s TAIEX instrument, which provides technical assistance and information exchange to share European Union best practices and support institutional and legal reforms in partner countries.

Under the initiative, a team of five technicians from INTIC’s Computer Security Incident Response Team (CSIRT) is currently in Lisbon. The team is conducting a study visit and intensive training with Portugal’s National Cybersecurity Centre (CNCS), with a particular focus on exchanges with CERT.PT. The mission aims to strengthen technical skills, enhance incident response capacity and promote international best practices.

The partnership also includes a second phase. European experts will travel to Mozambique to continue capacity-building activities on site and ensure knowledge transfer adapts to local conditions. In addition, the cooperation will support the development of public policies aligned with international standards, particularly in combating digital fraud and online identity theft.

Through this partnership, Mozambique is expanding its reliance on international expertise to secure its national cyberspace. The country strengthened ties with the United States in February, which the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) considers a global benchmark in cybersecurity. In November 2025, Maputo signed a memorandum of understanding with Togo covering technical and operational capacity building for both countries’ CSIRTs, information sharing on emerging threats and the exchange of best practices.

Mozambique also participates in several international frameworks that provide a basis for cooperation. These include the United Nations Convention against Cybercrime, the African Union Convention on Cybersecurity and Personal Data Protection (Malabo Convention) and the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime. The partnership with the European Union is expected to facilitate Mozambique’s access to the Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams (FIRST), a global association of cybersecurity incident response teams.

For now, Mozambique ranks in the third tier out of five in the ITU Global Cybersecurity Index in 2024, with a score of 66.05 out of 100. While the country shows relatively strong performance in organizational measures and cooperation, challenges remain in legal frameworks, technical capabilities and capacity development.

This article was initially published in French by Isaac K. Kassouwi

Adapted in English by Ange J.A de Berry Quenum