Venâncio Massingue was born in 1960 in Chibuto district, Mozambique. In 1968 he left the district to complete his schooling in the capital Maputo (formerly Lourenço Marques). After qualifying as an electronic and electrical engineering technician in 1982, he was selected to work in the newly-established Informatics Centre (CIUEM) at Eduardo Mondlane University (UEM) and attended professional training courses in computer hardware in the UK and the Netherlands.
He holds a Doctoral degree in Information and Communication Technology Application and Management from Technology University of Delft (TUDelft), in the Netherlands. From 1987 to 1992, he studied for the degree of Licenciatura in electro-technical engineering at UEM, with thesis research work undertaken at TUDelft. At the same time, he worked as Head of the Computer Maintenance Department and later as Deputy Director of CIUEM.
After his graduation as licentiate, he was appointed Director of CIUEM and from this position was a key player in bringing the Internet to Mozambique and in developing CIUEM as a Centre of expertise for South-South cooperation programmes, within framework of the MHO programme.
From 1996 to 1998 he masterminded the development of the Mozambique ICT Policy and ICT Strategy that were later approved by the Cabinet in 2000 and 2002 respectively. Presently he is a member of Mozambican Informatics Policy Task Force for Development of a National Information Policy.
Since 1997 he has been Vice-Rector for Administration & Resources and Information and Communications Technologies at UEM, and is currently involved as the brainchild in the conception and development of a Mozambican Information and Communication Technology Institute (MICTI). He lectures the discipline of Data Communications and Networks in the Department of Mathematics and Informatics of UEM.
From 1998 to date he has been in charge to establish the Acacia Program in Mozambique as the Executive Secretary of the Mozambique Acacia Advisory Committee.
From 1996 to 2000 he served on many national and international committees concerned with ICT, including the African Technical Advisory Committee (ATAC) of the African Information Society Initiative (AISI) of UN-ECA, and the UNESCO Intergovernmental Informatics Programme. Currently he is the president of the UNESCO Regional Informatics for Africa (RINAF). He has published a number of articles and publications in the field of ICT for national, regional and international institutions and organizations.
In 1998, he received the UNESCO Albert Einstein Medal for Science and Technology. Seeking to broaden his field of expertise, he has recently attended courses in Economic Concepts for Engineers and Managers at MIT, USA (June 2002) and in Human Resource Development and Academia-Industry Cooperation on ICT in Japanese Universities (2003), in Japan.
He was named Minister of Science and Technology of Mozambique in 2005, position he held until 2012. As Minister he had but not only the following responsibilities:
- Managing the determination, regulation, planning, coordination, development, monitoring and evaluation of activities in science and technology and establish comparative tables with global and regional development;
- Managing the formulation of policies and strategies, research, legislate, standardization, planning, stimulus, analyzing, disseminating, and accelerating the development of science and technology;
- Managing the promotion, research, appreciation and use of local knowledge, protection of intellectual property rights and registration and patenting inventions, access, creation and recognition of scientific and technological capabilities, technology transfer and integration of scientific knowledge and technology in key areas of development of the country and the fight against absolute poverty through the introduction of new technologies and cutting-edge, and its application and management, in society;
- Managing authorization to exercise research activity, the platform of collaboration and cooperation between different institutions and sectors, national and international, with a view to create an efficient, dynamic and quality system of integrated innovation.
He is married with two daughters.