How a fishing competition sponsorship has led to community empowerment through connectivity

Paratus helps bridge the digital divide in Mozambique

Paratus Mozambique, part of pan-African telecommunications group Paratus, is extending its commitment to helping bridge Mozambique’s digital divide. What began as event connectivity for the Paratus Mozambique-sponsored Santa Maria Fishing Challenge has evolved into a lasting social investment, delivering online learning opportunities to more than 1,500 students and 30 educators in one of Mozambique’s most remote coastal communities.

Paratus Mozambique has now committed to expanding the impact of its existing Starlink Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite installation by supporting teacher training initiatives and identifying other remote Mozambican communities where similar connectivity projects can make a meaningful difference.

A recent visit by the Paratus team highlighted the impact of the initiative, with students gathered under trees accessing online learning resources – something that would have been unimaginable just two years ago.

The connectivity journey in Santa Maria began through Paratus Mozambique’s partnership with the Santa Maria Fishing Challenge, now in its third consecutive year. Recognising the opportunity to create a lasting legacy beyond the event itself, Paratus worked with local authorities to install a Starlink kit at the administrative post of Machangulo in 2024.

What began as a goodwill gesture has become vital community infrastructure. Today, the connection supports a local school with more than 1,500 students and 30 educators, while also benefiting healthcare services, local businesses and approximately 3,500 residents in Santa Maria. The deployment reflects the principles behind the Paratus Group’s Essential Access service, which provides priority satellite connectivity to organisations at the heart of remote African communities, including schools, clinics, emergency services and community institutions.

Country Manager of Paratus Mozambique, Rui Costa, says: “These children in Santa Maria are no longer cut off from knowledge and opportunity because of where they live. With satellite technology, they now have access to a world of information and learning resources. That is why we remain committed to supporting Santa Maria and extending similar opportunities to other remote communities across Mozambique.”

Santa Maria, on the eastern coast of the Machangulo Peninsula near Maputo, has historically faced significant connectivity challenges. LEO satellite technology is helping overcome these barriers by delivering high-speed internet to communities that are difficult to reach through traditional infrastructure.

As Paratus enters its third year as connectivity partner to the Santa Maria Fishing Challenge, its commitment to the community continues to grow.

Paratus Mozambique’s investment in Santa Maria reflects the Group’s broader commitment to expanding digital inclusion across Africa through sustainable connectivity solutions that support education, healthcare and community development.