The evolution of e-government in Mozambique: progress, challenges, and future prospects

Abstract

In the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, e-Government has established itself as a key tool for modernizing public management and improving service delivery. Mozambique began its journey in this area in the late 1990s, with the development of policies and strategies focused on the use of Information and Communication Technologies to strengthen state administration. However, studies on this development remain limited and fragmented. The objective of this research is to analyze the evolution of e-Government in Mozambique, identifying the progress made, the persistent challenges, and future prospects. To this end, a mixed approach was adopted, based on a bibliographic and documentary review of official, regulatory, and academic sources, complemented by an interview with a national expert on the subject. The results show that Mozambique has made significant progress in the institutionalization of e-Government, particularly in the development of a regulatory framework in areas such as the information society, legal infrastructure, digital governance, and cybersecurity, as well as in the implementation of digital platforms with administrative and social impact. However, structural challenges persist, including limited technological infrastructure, low digital literacy, poor interoperability between systems, and a lack of qualified human resources. It is concluded that the success of e-Government in Mozambique depends on an integrated vision, sustainable investments, and strengthening of technical and institutional capacities. This research provides an unprecedented systematization of this topic in the country, useful for future research and public policies.