AI regulation in Mozambique: laws & policy (2026)
AI in Mozambique: proposed.
Mozambique has no enacted AI-specific legislation or adopted regulatory framework for artificial intelligence. In early 2025 the Council of Ministers formally established the National Commission for Artificial Intelligence (CNIA) by decree to advise on ethical, legal, security, and social dimensions of AI. A National AI Strategy is actively being drafted by INTIC with UNESCO technical assistance, supported by a completed AI Readiness Assessment, while existing digital law (the 2017 Electronic Transactions Law and a pending Cybersecurity Bill) offers only a partial foundation.
Legal framework
National Commission for Artificial Intelligence (CNIA), Council of Ministers Decree (March 2025); National AI Strategy under development by INTIC with UNESCO technical support
Key points: artificial intelligence in Mozambique
National AI Commission (CNIA) established
The Council of Ministers established the CNIA by decree in March 2025 (operative April 2025). It is chaired by the ICT Minister, reports directly to the Council of Ministers, and is mandated to advise on AI ethics, regulation, education, cybersecurity, and workforce impacts.
National AI Strategy in development
INTIC launched the drafting of a National AI Strategy in December 2025 with UNESCO technical support. A multisectoral committee spanning government, private sector, academia, and civil society is steering the process, with alignment to the African Union's Agenda 2063 and UNESCO's 2021 AI Ethics Recommendation.
UNESCO AI Readiness Assessment completed
Mozambique participated in UNESCO's Readiness Assessment Methodology (RAM) pilot across Southern Africa, producing a national AI readiness report that tests adequacy of existing laws, technical capacities, and alignment with UNESCO's Ethics of AI Recommendation, forming the evidence base for the emerging strategy.
Digital Transformation and Innovation Agency (ATDI) created
Mozambique also created the ATDI (Agência de Transformação Digital e Inovação) in early 2026 to coordinate the country's digital modernisation, operating under the Ministry of Communications and Digital Transformation. The ATDI complements the CNIA by providing institutional capacity for implementation.
No AI-specific legislation; existing law provides partial base
No enacted AI law or sector-specific AI rules exist. The Electronic Transactions Law (2017) and a draft Cybersecurity Bill are the closest relevant instruments, but both predate AI-specific governance thinking. Data governance policy is also at a formative draft stage as of April 2025.
UNESCO Ethics of AI Recommendation applies
As a UNESCO member state, Mozambique is formally covered by the 2021 UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of AI, the only binding-equivalent international instrument applicable, though domestic implementing measures have not yet been enacted.
Sources
- iafrica.com/mozambique-establishes-national-commission-for-artificial-intelligenc
- clubofmozambique.com/news/commission-begins-advising-government-on-the-use-of-artificial-i
- cadeproject.org/updates/mozambique-begins-work-on-national-ai-strategy-with-unesco-su
- iafrica.com/mozambique-develops-national-ai-strategy-with-unesco-support/
- unesco.org/ethics-ai/en/mozambique
- unesco.org/en/articles/unesco-pilots-ai-readiness-assessments-across-southern-af
- intic.gov.mz/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Draft-Mozambique-Data-Diagnostic-April-202
- iafrica.com/mozambique-creates-national-ai-commission-and-digital-transformation-
- biometricupdate.com/202603/mozambique-sets-up-agency-to-spearhead-its-digital-transformat
- altadvisory.africa/2022/11/29/mozambique-cybersecurity-bill/
- unesco.org/en/articles/recommendation-ethics-artificial-intelligence
Next for Mozambique: Data & PrivacyProposed
Next topicOrientation, not legal advice: verify against the primary sources linked above. Last verified 24 May 2026. Methodology & how to cite · State of Technology Regulation 2026