Mozambique has joined the Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4AI), becoming the third developing country to participate in the initiative alongside Nigeria and Ghana.
The Mozambican government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the A4AI in Maputo yesterday, pledging to collaborate with the members of the alliance with a view to driving down the cost of internet access through policy and regulatory reforms.
Permanent secretary in Mozambique’s Ministry of Transport and Communications Pedro Augusto Ingles signed the agreement on behalf of the country, with Sonia Jorge, executive director of A4AI, signing on behalf of the alliance.
“The signature of this MOU represents yet another step that the Ministry of Transport and Communications is taking in order to ensure affordable Internet for the entire population,” said Ingles.
“We hope that this partnership with the Alliance for Affordable Internet, World Wide Web Foundation and [the Science Innovation and ICT Research Institute] will spark deep collaboration between private sector, public sector and civil society actors to drive down the cost of broadband for Mozambicans.”
Noting that a fixed line monthly broadband package currently costs one and a half times the average monthly income in Mozambique, while mobile broadband costs range between 40 and 60 per cent of the average monthly income, Jorge said the country still has much work to do in order to achieve affordable access to internet for everyone.
“We are delighted to welcome Mozambique as a formal member of A4AI. The country has made great strides in infrastructure and policy development in recent years, but much hard work still lies ahead,” Jorge said.
“We are confident that by working closely with the government, private companies and civil society organisations, we can help to drive prices downwards and unlock the immense social and economic benefits of the Internet for ordinary Mozambicans.”
The country joins over 50 private sector, public sector, and civil organisation members of the A4AI – which was launched in 2013 – with the Mozambique-based Science Innovation and ICT Research Institute (SIITRI) also already a member of the alliance.
“Our vision and determination ensured that Mozambique was one of the first African countries to become part of internet family in the early 90s,” said Professor Dr. Eng. Venancio Simao Massingue, founder of SIITRI and former minister of science and technology of Mozambique.
“Today, the priority is to make sure that Mozambique finishes the last mile and ensures affordable access to the internet for all. Partners and friends such as A4AI are vital,” Massingue said.
“Hand in hand with Mozambican entrepreneurs and innovators, they can help to ensure that all of Mozambique’s people reap the benefits of the global information society and knowledge economy.”
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