Mozambique and Togo Cement Cybersecurity Partnership to Boost Regional Resilience

Mozambique and Togo have successfully formalized a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cybersecurity cooperation, strategically aligning their efforts to combat the continent’s rising cyber threats. This agreement was signed on November 17 during the opening ceremony of the first Mozambique International Cybersecurity Week Conference held in Maputo. This bilateral move gains significance in light of accelerated digital transformation across Africa, a context where Interpol estimates financial losses exceeding $3 billion due to cyber incidents between 2019 and 2024. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) views such cybersecurity investments as absolutely essential for the successful execution of national digital-transformation strategies. The document establishes four core areas for enhanced cooperation. These include bolstering the technical and operational capacities of both nations’ Computer Security Incident Response Teams (CSIRTs), sharing timely information on emerging threats and vulnerabilities, promoting the exchange of crucial knowledge and best practices, and collectively contributing to the broader cyber-resilience of the African region. Lourino Chemane, chairman of Mozambique’s National ICT Institute (INTIC), emphasized that this partnership reinforces Mozambique’s commitment to collaborating with other African states to ensure a safer, more reliable, and inclusive cyberspace. He stressed that CSIRT collaboration and information-sharing are vital for effective and coordinated action against increasingly complex and interconnected global threats. The partnership follows a joint commitment demonstrated by both nations, which were among the 21 African countries to recently join the UN Convention on Cybercrime. While Togo ranks strongly in Tier 2 of the Global Cybersecurity Index, Mozambique is placed in Tier 3, indicating a complementary partnership where Togo offers expertise in regulation and cooperation, and Mozambique benefits in strengthening its legal, technical, and capacity-development measures.