MDIHub

Project abstract

Mozambique, ranked among the world’s least developed countries, faces persistent poverty, low competitiveness, and a major skills gap between labour market needs and education outputs. Economic stagnation since 2016—driven by instability, climate shocks, and COVID-19—has deepened unemployment, especially among youth and women. Yet, digital technologies offer transformative opportunities if paired with improved digital literacy, entrepreneurship, and access to services.

Building on this, the Maputo Digital Innovation Hub (MDIHub) project aims to accelerate Mozambique’s digital transition, create jobs, and promote inclusive digital services aligned with the Government’s Strategic Plan for the Information Society.

MDIHub will expand and professionalize the CI-UEM Tech Hub into a national centre of excellence, offering high-quality, gender-sensitive ICT training, incubating start-ups, and developing digital tools for public services.

Key partners include CIES Onlus (lead applicant and coordinator), Politecnico di Milano (technical mentor and incubator advisor), Universidade Eduardo Mondlane (local manager and trainer), and CA Inovação (local co-manager and innovation specialist). Stakeholders—ministries, schools, civil society, and private actors—were engaged through joint consultations to ensure local ownership and sustainability.

Expected outputs:

• a fully equipped public-private Tech Hub;
• 1,000+ youth, women, and persons with disabilities trained in ICT;
• start-ups and SMEs incubated/accelerated;
• innovative digital services developed for social impact.

Outcomes include increased digital competencies, entrepreneurship, and improved public services; the long-term impact is Mozambique’s sustainable, inclusive digital growth.

Activities cover four clusters:

• Tech Hub expansion, governance, and networking;
• digital literacy and ICT training;
• start-up incubation and SME acceleration
• social innovation through hackathons and digital service development.

Cross-cutting priorities include gender equality, inclusion of vulnerable groups, and environmental sustainability—ensuring a rights-based, inclusive approach to Mozambique’s digital transformation.