Mozambique: Govt wants universities involved in protecting against cyberattacks

“As we roll out more services to society, we also need to build trust, and this trust can only be built if we can protect the information contained therein, protect users and (…) ensure that our country is protected against attacks that may be launched from abroad or even from within,” he said. Photo: Ministério das Comunicações e Transformação Digital The appeal was made by the minister during the inauguration of a data centre at Eduardo Mondlane University (UEM), the country’s largest and oldest higher education institution. On the occasion, he called on universities to continue leading the way in education, particularly in areas such as cybersecurity and artificial intelligence.

He also highlighted the central role of universities in education, innovation and the dissemination of knowledge, emphasising the need for their involvement in the digital transformation currently underway in the country: “Commit yourselves to the process of creating the knowledge we need so that digital transformation becomes a reality in our country”. The data centre, housed at the university, features precision air conditioning, integrated environmental monitoring, enhanced security measures, redundant systems and expandability. It is powered by electricity, solar energy and a generator, with the minister calling for the initiative to be rolled out across the country to ensure data security for communities.

Photo: Photo: Ministério das Comunicações e Transformação Digital “We need to put in place, for example, infrastructure to serve the education sector,” said Muchanga. The minister also called on universities to take the lead in operationalising the Education and Research Network – a network used to connect educational institutions, known as ‘MoRENet’, which is operated from the premises of the Ministry of Communications and Digital Transformation.