Vietnam - Mozambique sign Memorandum of Understanding on Information and Communications
On May, 23 rd , 2016, in Hanoi, Member of the Party Central Committee, Minister of Information and Communications Truong Minh Tuan had a meeting and talk with Mr. Alberti Forto Mesquita, Minister of Transport and Communications of Mozambique.
Attending the talk, in the Vietnam’s side, were representatives of the Authority of Telecommunications, Authority of Information Security, Department of International Cooperation, VNPT and Viettel Corporation; in the Mozambique’s side were Mozambique Ambassador in Vietnam, representatives of Department of Communication Management, Department of International Cooperation.
At the talk, Minister Truong Minh Tuan appreciated Mozambique’s achievements in recent years, especially with the economic growth rate of 6.8%.
Minister Truong Minh Tuan Minister informed an overview of the development of telecommunications, IT in Vietnam. Ministers affirmed, the telecommunications, IT play an important role in the social - economic development, improve the productivity and efficiency of state management, thereby enhance the national competitiveness. Vietnam’s advanced telecommunications network has met the basic needs of 90 million people as well as strong demands from foreign investors. The telecommunications infrastructure, Internet network maintain stable operations in a healthy competitive environment. IT industry has become an important economic sector with an annual growth rate higher than others. IT industry revenue reaches nearly $ 40 billion, contributing 25% to the GDP of Vietnam.
Minister Truong Minh Tuan emphasized, with encouraging investment policies, Vietnam is a dynamic market, the destination of many international IT corporations such as: Samsung, Intel, Microsoft ... At the same time, Vietnam has also got a number of potential telecommunications and IT corporations and operators such as: VNPT, Mobifone, VTC, Viettel. These firms not only consolidate their positions in the domestic market but also promote their investment to foreign markets, especially focus on markets such as Laos, Cambodia, Mozambique, Peru, etc.
Minister Alberti Forto Mesquita confirmed this visit would contribute to promoting opportunities of cooperation between the two ministries in the field of Information and Communications. Currently, Mozambique is expanding the telecommunications infrastructure to remote areas as well as improving service quality. Mozambique currently has three 3 mobile operators with 20 million mobile subscribers, 6 million 3G subscribers and 5 million broadband subscribers.
Mozambique is also bidding the 4G system and planning to develop e-government. At the same time, to create a legal framework for the development of ICT, Mozambique has adopted the Law on Telecommunications in order to ensure that the information accessible to all citizens across the country.
Minister Alberti Forto Mesquita expressed his desire to cooperate with the Ministry of Information and Communications of Vietnam in areas such as training of human resources, exchange experiences in information security, etc. He also encouraged Vietnam’s operators to invest in Mozambique on the basis of bilateral cooperation.
Concerning the cooperation between the Ministry of Information and Communications of Vietnam and the Ministry of Transport and Communications of Mozambique in the near future, Minister Truong Minh Tuan proposed, the two sides should strengthen exchanges of visits and establish channels of dialogue to share experience on the management of information and communication. The two sides continued to create supportive conditions for investment and business activities of Vietnam’s operators in Mozambique, as well as cooperation of telecommunications and IT businesses of the two countries. The two sides should continue active cooperation, mutual support in the activities of international organizations in general and specialized international organizations of information and communication in particular.