This Lusophone Africa Data Governance Workshop is hosted by Mozambique’s National Institute of ICT (INTIC), Smart Africa, and UNESCO, and brings together national policymakers, regulators, and stakeholders from across Lusophone Africa to strengthen implementation of inclusive, rights-based, and interoperable data governance.
In Mozambique, the government is currently formulating both a National Data Governance Strategy and a National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Strategy. Other Lusophone African countries, including Angola, Cabo Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea and São Tomé and Príncipe, are also actively engaging in efforts to strengthen their legal, regulatory, and institutional frameworks for data and digital transformation. These include national data strategies, data protection laws, and exploratory work on AI policy.
Recognizing this momentum, the workshop is not intended to duplicate existing initiatives but rather to reinforce, support, and accelerate national efforts by providing practical tools, peer-to-peer learning, and technical guidance for implementation. It aims to create a Lusophone community of practice on data governance that reflects the diversity of contexts and priorities, while promoting regional harmonization and knowledge exchange.
Importantly, this workshop also marks the inaugural launch of the Data Governance Toolkit: Navigating the Digital Age in Portuguese, expanding access beyond the existing English and French editions. Making the Toolkit available in Portuguese represents a major milestone for Lusophone Africa, enabling deeper institutional uptake, broader accessibility, and stronger regional ownership of data governance practices.
Through strong collaboration with Smart Africa, UNESCO, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and the World Bank, the workshop also ensures alignment with regional and global frameworks and draws on the resources and expertise of key development partners. Together, the collective aim is to help translate policy ambitions into actionable national strategies and impactful results.