Getting Mozambique Online

Mozambique

When basic information systems are lacking, it is not easy to make the most of a country’s resources and serve people in need. In Mozambique, a nation of 19 million people in southern Africa, daily operations have been made even harder by a lack of communication among different government institutions.

Mozambique’s government recognized the problem and outlined a plan calling for a nationwide network to connect public administration entities, called the Government Electronic Network (GovNet). Once feasibility studies were done, government officials wanted partners who could move ahead quickly and help them turn ideas into reality.

With a grant and project assistance from the Development Gateway, the government completed the pilot phase of GovNet in early 2005, just 10 months after grant funds were disbursed. More than 500 civil servants were connected together for the first time in 15 key institutions, including the ministries of finance and health. They now have a common intranet, a unified e-mail system, more cost-effective access to the Internet and a shared public Web portal.

Thanks to this rapid implementation and demonstration of GovNet’s potential, the government of Italy has agreed to finance the expansion of GovNet to more than 100 institutions across 10 provinces.