Profile Mozambique (PM): Could you briefly tell us about your professional background and how the concept of the Human Leaders Congress in Cabo Verde emerged?

Lúcia Brito (LB): I am Cape Verdean, born on the island of mountains, Santo Antão, and the mother of a prince and a princess, aged 15 and 8 respectively. I bring with me more than 20 years of experience in Management, Marketing, and Business Consulting, across sectors such as Tourism, Food Industry, Cement Industry, Corporate Services, Public Services, and Social Entrepreneurship.

I have always believed that true leadership begins at home, within the family, and then projects itself into society and organizations. The Human Leaders International Congress was born from that conviction, the idea of creating an international space where leadership is thought of and practiced in a humanized, inclusive, and integrative way, with Africa at the center of the global conversation.

Throughout my professional journey, in both national and international contexts, I realized that our organizations lacked a space that united results and people, strategy and purpose. It is within this spirit that HLIC was founded in Cabo Verde: to place humanized leadership at the heart of continental debate and to bring together Lusophone, Anglophone, and Francophone ecosystems, fostering a genuine network of transformation in Africa.

PM: How would you define the role of the Human Leaders International Congress in the African landscape, and what leadership and development niches does it seek to address?

LB: Africa is the youngest continent in the world, 70% of Sub-Saharan Africa’s population is under 30, which makes young talent the greatest lever for transformation.

The Human Leaders International Congress positions itself as a reference platform to reflect and act upon leadership that is people-centered, adapted to Africa’s realities and potential. To that end, we bring together corporate, social, religious, academic, and political leaders in a constructive, inclusive dialogue with tangible impact.

Our objective is to occupy the niche where leadership is reimagined in a humanized way, with Africa as a protagonist in shaping global solutions.

PM: We observe that leadership discussions in Africa have increasingly prioritized topics such as digital transformation and youth empowerment. How does the Human Leaders Congress plan to reflect these trends, and how will it adapt them to local needs?

LB: We place these trends at the very center of the debate, always with a realistic perspective on the African context, youth as the engine of innovation and digitalization as a tool not just for technological progress, but for inclusion.

The Human Leaders International Congress was designed to build bridges among Lusophone, Francophone, and Anglophone countries, fostering replicable, sustainable solutions adapted to our realities. The data is telling: in 2024, only 38% of Africans had internet access, compared to the global average of 68%. The urban-rural divide is the largest in the world (57% vs. 23%). This reinforces the urgency of treating digital inclusion as a leadership priority, with direct impact on talent development, public policy, and business models.

By 2050, more than one-third of the world’s youth will be African. This is a unique opportunity to shape the continent’s future. The HLIC intends to create practical laboratories (in digital skills, data literacy, and responsible AI), policy roundtables, and platforms for sharing concrete solutions. Our commitment is to follow global trends but, above all, to translate them into accessible, effective, and transformative actions for all of Africa.

PM: Which sectors, corporate, academic, or public, do you expect to be most actively involved, and what does this reveal about the interest in transformational leadership?

LB: We expect strong participation from the corporate, academic, and civil society sectors, as we believe they are essential catalysts of practical change and critical thinking. We want these sectors to act not just as participants but as true promoters of transformational leadership committed to real impact.

The public sector, in turn, is indispensable to translating public policy into tangible improvements, ensuring that innovation is inclusive and sustainable. The growing involvement of these sectors reveals that Africa is ready to embrace a more collaborative, conscious, and solutions-oriented leadership.

The corporate and academic sectors have a central role in this process through talent upskilling, applied research, and the promotion of best practices. Meanwhile, the public sector must anchor policies and regulations that encourage innovation and inclusion.

Moreover, the continent’s rapid urbanization poses challenges that demand new forms of leadership. By 2050, Africa’s urban population is expected to double, making the development of joint, sustainable, and locally adapted solutions more urgent than ever.

PM: Regarding Mozambique’s participation, what progress has been made so far in terms of strategic relations?

LB: We have been establishing contacts with institutions, change agents, and leading figures in Mozambique, who have shown great openness and willingness to cooperate. The country emerges as a strategic partner for expanding, at the regional level, the vision of more humanized, inclusive, and transformative leadership.

We maintain active dialogue with institutional and business actors to co-create delegations and contribute to key topics such as youth, digital inclusion, governance, and gender equality. Mozambique’s participation has proven promising, with many partners enthusiastic about joining this journey of transformation.

Mozambique will undoubtedly be one of the pillars of this regional leadership network that the Human Leaders International Congress Cabo Verde 2026 aims to strengthen. The event, scheduled for July 24 – 25, will be a true immersion into leadership and the future, and Mozambique will be represented as an active part of that endeavor.

PM: What concrete outcomes are expected from the Human Leaders Congress in strengthening Mozambican leadership across business, institutional, and social levels?

LB: We aim for the Human Leaders International Congress to contribute tangibly to strengthening Mozambican leadership across business, institutional, and social fronts. Our ambition is to support Mozambique in adopting practical leadership tools, fostering strategic cooperation networks, and creating spaces where emerging leaders can gain international visibility.

We expect to generate concrete impacts in several areas. In capacity building, we promote organizational leadership programs oriented towards results and aligned with humanized values. In networking, we encourage connections between emerging leaders and top executives in the region, focusing on mentorship and experience-sharing.

In digital transformation, we develop initiatives to reduce the usage and skills gap, based on GSMA and ITU indicators, strengthening access to technology, mobile coverage, and digital literacy. Finally, in gender equality, we seek to reinforce the pipeline of women leaders, especially in the business and institutional sectors. Mozambique already stands out regionally, with 39.2% of women in parliament, and HLIC aims to accelerate this representativeness in other spheres of leadership.

Our commitment is to help Mozambique gain greater visibility and confidence, aligning its practices with global standards of excellence while preserving its African identity and promoting people-centered leadership.

PM: What is your medium- and long-term vision for the country? Are there plans for expansion in terms of format, frequency, or presence in regions beyond Cabo Verde?

LB: Our vision is to transform the Human Leaders International Congress into an itinerant platform in Africa, with Cabo Verde as a starting point, but not the sole destination, to promote global dialogues with local impact. In the medium term, we aim to hold thematic events in strategic countries, and in the long term, consolidate a true network of interconnected African leaders.

The model foresees Cabo Verde as the hub, complemented by satellite events in key countries, including Mozambique. As for frequency, the format includes biennial congresses and semi-annual laboratories focused on strategic themes such as digitalization, youth, gender, ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance), education, social innovation, and health.

The expected impact is the creation of a continental community of practice, sustained by clear benchmarks, digital penetration, female participation, and the number of projects incubated. Monitoring will be carried out using reference data from institutions such as the UN, GSMA, and ITU.

PM: Considering the persistent challenges in women’s representation in decision-making spaces, does your organization have specific strategies to promote female leadership?

LB: Yes, we have a firm and structured commitment to gender equity. In Cabo Verde, significant steps have already been taken through the implementation of the Parity Law, which positioned the country among those with the highest female representation in parliament (44.4%). Our goal is to expand this progress beyond the political sector, reaching companies, institutions, and civil society organizations, so that women’s leadership becomes increasingly visible, active, and decisive.

At the Human Leaders International Congress, we implement specific strategies to promote female leadership, including creating mentorship spaces and fostering allyship. We set concrete representativeness targets, ensuring that at least 40% of speakers and panelists are women.

Additionally, we design programs with measurable indicators, focusing on the promotion of women to leadership positions, pay equity, and access to financing, in order to assess the real impact of our initiatives.

In the digital sphere, we recognize that many women entrepreneurs still face barriers such as cost of access and online security issues. For this reason, we are developing partnerships with technology and financial actors to create digital empowerment toolkits with practical solutions that enhance women’s participation in the digital economy, not only in Cabo Verde but also across other African countries.

We firmly believe that transformative leadership will only be possible with women’s equitable presence in all decision-making spaces.

PM: What final message would you like to leave with Profile readers, especially young professionals and emerging leaders in Mozambique, based on your accumulated experience?

LB: The message is simple yet profound: leadership is not about titles, it is about impact.

Every young Mozambican carries within themselves the power to be an agent of transformation, starting by leading themselves, their families, and their communities. The future of Africa will be built by conscious, human leaders who are capable of delivering sustainable and inclusive results.

We have a unique advantage, we are the youngest continent in the world, with a median age of just 19 years. This is our competitive strength, and the time is now.

Invest in digital skills, ethics, empathy, and collaboration. Build bridges between sectors, communities, and countries. Because the future of Africa depends on the courage, vision, and action of its youth and the generations to come.

Profile Mozambique: Agility inaugurated its Logistics Park in Maputo in 2021, with a 290,000 m² site and 32,000 m² of ready-to-lease warehouses, offering solutions for storage, distribution, and even light manufacturing. How would you describe the journey since its launch to the present, in terms of growth and market response?

Neide Tsenane: We consider 2021 as the true relaunch of our logistics park in Maputo. We began operations in 2019, still during the implementation phase, but were quickly constrained by the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, which shrank the market to minimal levels. At that time, we had only one client. It was only in 2021, during the economic recovery, that we managed to energize the operation and push forward with our growth strategy.

Initially, we had to invest in market education, especially among large corporations, to explain the advantages of operating in a warehouse space built to international standards. The usual reality in Mozambique is quite different—many operators merely provide a space where goods are placed directly on the ground. We brought an innovative proposal, with warehouses 9 meters high, allowing not only horizontal storage but also vertical optimization of space.

When we started in 2021, we had only 10% occupancy. We closed that same year at 47% and, since then, growth has been consistent. Today, we stand at about 90% occupancy, a clear reflection of market acceptance and confidence.

PM: In October 2023, the global logistics operator DSV leased 12,000 m² in the park, with an option for expansion. How do you assess the growing interest of multinationals and local companies? Which sectors are showing the highest demand?

NT: Since the inauguration of our logistics park, we have seen growing interest from both multinationals and local firms, a reflection of confidence in the solutions we provide. The partnership established in October 2023 with the DSV group, whose end client is a well-known Dutch brewer, demonstrated that our facilities meet the ideal conditions for large-scale operations, particularly in the beverage and fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sectors.

We had already secured strategic clients such as distributor Oceana, which centralized its logistics in our park thanks to the combination of prime location and high safety standards. Many of our partners had previously faced pest problems and poor storage conditions in other facilities, leading to significant merchandise losses. By transferring their operations to our warehouses, they realized that, while the initial investment may be higher, the reduction of losses and improved distribution efficiency more than compensate. Located near one of Maputo’s main exit corridors, we offer a competitive advantage for supplying the entire country quickly and securely.

PM: What has been the park’s contribution to the local economy in terms of employment, value chain development, and strengthening the country’s logistics competitiveness? Is there a positive spillover effect on sectors such as energy, mining, or consumer goods?

NT: Our contribution to the local economy starts with the fact that we were pioneers in an area where, before our arrival, there were practically no structured projects. Our presence spurred the revitalization of the zone, attracting other investments and leading to the construction of additional warehouses in the vicinity. From the beginning, we committed to giving back to the host community, and one of the most concrete ways was through local job creation. We required our subcontractors to prioritize hiring residents from the region, which enabled many men and women, neighbors of the park, now integrated into the Marracuene municipality, to work with us.

We also maintain an active relationship with municipal authorities, collaborating on initiatives that reinforce sustainability and community capacity-building. One example is our project with the Clarísse Machanguana Foundation, through which we support digital literacy in surrounding areas. We rehabilitated the IT block of a local school and provided computers, ensuring that children and young people have access to essential learning tools. In this way, we not only strengthen the country’s logistics value chain but also create lasting social impact, promoting inclusion and competitiveness from the ground up.

PM: Considering the park’s sustainable construction and ecological management policy, how does Agility frame its environmental responsibility strategy within the national and regional economic context?

NT: Environmental responsibility is a central pillar of our operations, aligned both with the national economic reality and the regional context. We take this commitment very seriously and believe we are currently the only warehouse operator in Mozambique with EDGE certification, internationally recognized for sustainable building practices. From the planning stage, we incorporated solutions that reduce energy consumption, such as the Skylight system, which integrates roof openings to allow natural light, thereby reducing reliance on electric lighting during the day.

Our warehouses were built with sandwich panels, which provide better thermal insulation while using more sustainable materials, thus reducing environmental impact. Our engineering team is constantly evaluating ways to improve projects, ensuring that each new facility is more efficient and environmentally friendly. As the Agility Group, we invest in emerging markets with a long-term perspective, we are not here for just five or ten years, but to stay and contribute sustainably. That is why we seek certifications and adopt practices that not only qualify our current facilities but also raise the standard for future projects.

PM: Given the high demand for grade-A warehouses, are there plans to expand infra-structure or open new logistics hubs in other parts of the country or the Southern African region?

NT: Yes, we have clear expansion plans. Currently, our presence in Southern Africa is limited to Mozambique, but we are active in other emerging markets on the continent, such as Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, and regions of North Africa. In Mozambique specifically, we have already defined a growth plan focused on the Maputo area.

Today, our logistics park occupies only one-third of the total area allocated to us. Between the end of this year and early next year, we plan to build more than 20,000 m² of warehouse space, raising the park’s total capacity to over 50,000 m². This is a significant milestone, rare even in Southern Africa, in terms of available space concentrated in a single location.

We recognize that the market is expanding and that demand for grade-A warehouses grows daily. That is why we also want to offer accessible options for small and medium-sized enterprises starting their operations. These new warehouses will have slightly different specifications, lower height, adapted for loads that do not require high racking, and loading platforms tailored to local realities. However, we maintain Agility’s quality standards, ensuring that the product meets the specific needs of the Mozambican market and various economic sectors.

PM: How does the park enable national companies, especially SMEs, to access international-grade logistics infrastructure? Are there support programs or differentiated conditions?

NT: Yes, we are fully aware that the financial capacity of a multinational differs from that of a small or medium-sized national company, especially those just starting out. That is why we seek to support these entrepreneurs in ways adapted to their circumstances.

This does not always mean a direct reduction in rental prices, but we can, for example, offer grace periods during which the company does not pay rent immediately, allowing it to organize operations and adjust its cost structure before fully assuming expenses. We assess each project individually, maintaining this flexibility so the client can “breathe” until reaching operational stability.

We adopt this approach because we understand that many companies are intimidated when comparing costs with their initial budget. Therefore, we always encourage dialogue, knowing the project and its potential is the first step toward finding solutions that facilitate access to our international-standard infrastructure while maintaining Agility’s quality benchmark.

PM: What regulatory, exchange rate, or infrastructure challenges do you still face, and how do you assess the framework of stability and public policies in Mozambique for the development of the logistics sector?

NT: In our involvement with the logistics chain, we mainly face challenges related to infrastructure and urban organization. For example, we are in a municipality that is still in a learning phase, and some issues do not advance at the desired pace. A concrete case is access to our park—currently, those traveling to the site must take a detour of more than five kilometers to reach the warehouses. From the beginning, we flagged to the authorities the need for more efficient access roads, which would significantly optimize logistics operations.

We believe that improving infrastructure, such as road access, will have a direct impact on sector efficiency. With the recent creation of a dedicated ministry, we hope these issues will receive priority attention. Furthermore, we advocate for a collaborative approach to logistics, in which companies like Agility provide support to operators without their own infrastructure. In this way, we can jointly create comprehensive market solutions, enabling clients and logistics providers to use our facilities for storage, cargo handling, and complementary services. This type of partnership helps strengthen the entire national logistics chain.