Johannesburg: AfricUpdate – News Desk
The Communications Regulatory Authority – INCM now has an incubator for Startups and National Entrepreneurs. Called ThinkLab, the space was inaugurated by the Minister of Communications and Digital Transformation, Américo Muchanga. ThinkLab is a space that aims to stimulate innovation and promote the development of services, business models and technological solutions that drive modernization and promote the evolution of the communications sector in Mozambique.
Its inauguration takes place in the context of the celebrations of the 33rd anniversary of the creation of the INCM. Speaking on the occasion, Minister Muchanga said that the celebration of the 33rdor INCM’s anniversary is marked by a unique moment for the communications sector in Mozambique, with the inauguration of the ThinkLab, a space for the incubation of startups and national entrepreneurs in technological innovation;
During these 33 years, due to the work of the Regulator, according to Américo Muchanga, millions of people have been able to connect, communicate safely. People connect, companies flourish, among other results. Regarding the incubator, the Minister urged innovation and appreciation of initiatives such as those that will be incubated by the INCM, because the country needs innovators and innovation.
He also urged to look at the 33 years of the INCM as a milestone and determination of concern for the country’s growth. According to the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the INCM, Helena Fernandes, the ThinkLab incubator will contribute to the promotion of Digital Inclusion and the development of the communications sector. He also explained that it is a result of the INCM having identified the lack of space for many promising ideas to flourish and represents the future we want to build for Mozambique.
The Incubator Project is fully aligned with INCM’s mission to regulate, supervise and encourage the sustainable growth of the digital ecosystem in Mozambique. For its creation, as explained by the PCA, the INCM, as a regulator, understood that its mission goes beyond regulating, but also facilitating innovation, creating conditions for new technological solutions to be born, grow and generate impact.
For Ana Priscila Salomão, head of the Department of Studies and Statistics, “the ThinkLab is a space that was born to welcome talent, generate innovation and boost the digital ecosystem. This project started in early 2024 and went through several stages”. He also explained that, in the selection process of the projects submitted for the first technological incubation program, 51 applications were submitted, of which 12 were selected.
The evaluation was based on criteria such as gender, degree of maturity of the projects, level of preparation of the candidates, area of operation/category, as well as inclusion and universal access. This project is expected to foster digital transformation, encouraging the emergence of innovative solutions that respond to the challenges of the communications market and expand access to technologies, promote solutions that benefit the whole society and contribute to the reduction of inequalities in access and use of technologies.
