Mozambique Launches Citizen Service Centre to Cut Bureaucracy

Mozambique has opened Centro Pronto, a new citizen service centre in Maputo. President Daniel Chapo inaugurated it on 14 October 2026 during CitizenConnect Africa–Mozambique, the first African edition of the international conference. Chapo wants to reduce long queues, repeated office visits and transport costs. The centre was developed by the Agency for Digital Transformation and Innovation (ATDI) and VFS Global. It combines digital tools, self-service kiosks and in-person assistance. Planned services cover passports, national identity cards, driving licences and residence documents for foreign nationals. The government also intends to improve the model and extend it to other parts of the country.

The launch also brought international attention to Mozambique’s digital plans. According to ATDI’s official news page, participants from Africa, Europe and Brazil discussed digital identity, civil registration, border management, artificial intelligence and connected public services. Better links between government agencies could reduce delays and repeated paperwork. However, digital services must also serve people without smartphones, reliable internet or digital skills. Chapo has called for online services to work alongside face-to-face support. Data protection and cybersecurity are also important as more public services move online. Partnerships with private companies can bring technical expertise, but the government must ensure that public needs remain the priority.

The success of Centro Pronto will depend on whether it makes daily life easier. The government should track waiting times, application costs and the speed of processing requests. It must also consider people living far from Maputo, who may still face long journeys to access services. The partnership with VFS Global makes transparency and public oversight especially important as the model expands. Digital transformation should do more than replace paper forms with online ones. It should remove unnecessary steps, reduce costs and make public services easier to use. For Mozambique, progress will mean giving more people fair access to essential services while protecting their personal information.