Emídio Amadebai, country manager for Mozambique of Raxio, talks to The Energy Year about the impact of new data regulations on demand for digital infrastructure, the development of Mozambique’s cloud and connectivity ecosystem and opportunities arising from LNG and AI.
- Mozambique’s digital ecosystem is becoming more established. New regulations and growing demand from financial institutions, connectivity providers and cloud companies are supporting a more structured market, with Raxio hosting more than 13 connectivity providers and three cloud or infrastructure-service providers.
- Raxio sees opportunities beyond Maputo. Regional connectivity, LNG-related demand and Mozambique’s major economic corridors could support further digital infrastructure investment, although expansion will depend on commercially sustainable demand.
- Energy competitiveness and local skills will shape future AI investment. Reliable, affordable electricity, efficient equipment imports and specialised technical training will be critical to attracting larger data-centre and AI workloads.
When we spoke in 2024, you expected data localisation, the financial sector and LNG to drive demand. Two years on, has that translated into real business?
Many of the market developments we anticipated are now becoming visible. Financial institutions and connectivity providers were important drivers of our initial demand, and we are also seeing growing participation from cloud and digital-service providers as the local ecosystem develops.
A particularly important development has been the evolution of Mozambique’s regulatory framework. The country has introduced regulations covering data centres and cloud computing and has continued to strengthen its broader cybersecurity, cybercrime and data-protection environment.
This creates greater clarity around how critical digital infrastructure should be operated and how sensitive and essential services should be supported. For investors and operators, greater regulatory clarity can help turn previously fragmented demand into a more structured and predictable market.
The priority now is consistent implementation and continued collaboration between government, regulators and industry. That combination can give organisations the confidence to adopt professional colocation and cloud infrastructure while strengthening Mozambique’s digital resilience.
What impact is the regulation having on Mozambique’s cloud, connectivity and data-centre ecosystem?
We are still at an early stage in the market’s development, but the ecosystem is becoming increasingly tangible. Today, Raxio Mozambique hosts more than 13 connectivity providers and three cloud or infrastructure-as-a-service providers, giving customers access to a much broader range of local and regional digital services.
The connectivity ecosystem includes major regional players such as WIOCC and AFR-IX Telecom, alongside Mozambique’s leading mobile network operators and a strong base of local ISPs. On the cloud side, we are also seeing the emergence of local capability, with two Mozambican cloud providers operating within the ecosystem alongside a regional provider from South Africa.
That combination is important because a mature digital ecosystem requires more than a data centre. It needs connectivity, cloud platforms, content, cybersecurity services and local technical capability working together.
Raxio’s role is to provide the neutral environment where those providers can interconnect and where customers can choose the combination of connectivity and cloud services that best meets their requirements. That is the digital hub we envisaged when we entered the market, and it is now increasingly taking shape.
How important are regional integration and LNG to Raxio’s growth?
Regional integration is very important.
One of the challenges in markets such as Mozambique is the cost of international connectivity. The more we can connect data centres, carriers and cloud ecosystems across the region, the easier it becomes for customers to access services locally and regionally.
LNG also remains strategically important for Mozambique and for us.
These are very large projects that generate significant amounts of data across engineering, logistics, communications, security and business operations. As activity increases, those companies and their service providers will need reliable local digital infrastructure.
Our role is to provide that infrastructure so that customers can focus on their core operations rather than building and managing everything themselves.
There are also natural synergies between energy and digital infrastructure. Data centres need resilient power and strong continuity planning, so the development of Mozambique’s energy sector can support the development of its digital economy as well.
With Raxio Group now at more than USD 380 million in committed capital, where could you expand next in Mozambique?
The continued investment into Raxio shows confidence in the long-term opportunity for digital infrastructure across Africa. In Mozambique, we are looking at how we can support the country’s digital-transformation ambitions beyond Maputo.
Mozambique is almost 2,600 kilometres from north to south. Over time, businesses and communities in the centre and north will need access to the same quality of digital infrastructure available in Maputo. There is clear potential around Mozambique’s three main economic and logistics corridors: Nacala in the north, Beira in the centre and Maputo in the south. These corridors support logistics, energy, trade and other industries that are becoming increasingly dependent on digital infrastructure.
That does not necessarily mean replicating exactly the same model everywhere. Depending on demand, Raxio could support the market through additional facilities, capacity partnerships, offtake arrangements or other models.
Ultimately, investment has to follow sustainable demand, but extending digital infrastructure beyond Maputo is a natural part of Mozambique’s longer-term development.
What would unlock the next wave of digital and AI infrastructure investment in Mozambique?
Mozambique has strong fundamentals. We have significant energy resources, water availability, major renewable-energy potential and a strategic position in the region. Those are increasingly important advantages as data centres become larger and AI workloads become more energy intensive.
The opportunity now is to make Mozambique as competitive as possible in converting those advantages into investment.
Energy pricing will be important. AI infrastructure consumes significant amounts of electricity, so countries that can offer reliable and competitively priced energy will naturally be more attractive.
The cost of developing infrastructure is another factor. Data centres require large amounts of specialised equipment that often needs to be imported. Making that process more efficient and competitive would improve the economics of investing in Mozambique.
If we combine that with Mozambique’s gas resources and its renewable-energy potential, there is an interesting long-term opportunity for the country to support much larger digital and AI infrastructure.
The other important area is talent.
As the industry grows, Mozambique will need more specialised technicians, engineers and data-centre professionals. That is also an opportunity. Government, universities and the private sector can work together on training, internships, certification programmes and international exchanges.
We should not only be thinking about attracting infrastructure into Mozambique. We should also be developing Mozambican professionals who can build, operate and eventually lead this industry.
At Raxio Mozambique, our team is fully Mozambican, from technical operations through to management, and we have made a deliberate investment in building local capability. Our people are being trained and certified through internationally recognised data-centre programmes, including specialist Uptime Institute training, while senior managers are also undertaking qualifications such as the Certified Data Center Management Professional, or CDCMP.
Overall, I think it is the combination of infrastructure, energy, regulation and local skills that can position Mozambique strongly for the next stage of the digital economy.
Source: The Energy Year