Malawi needs high quality IT systems to compete at world stage

Malawi is keen to ensure that it is easy to connect and inter-link with the world in as far as information technologies system is concerned, Malawi president Lazarus Chakwera has said.

The president said a high quality internet network will enable the country to compete with the rest of the continent and the world at large.

Chakwera was speaking in light of the work being done by the Chinese company, Huawei in championing the over $23 million massive fiber network project.

Said Chakwera: “We need the fibre network, which will run in all the 28 districts of Malawi, to connect more internet users in the country.

” This will greatly help in improving internet access and speed while integrating government operations.”

The president further said that the upgrade will address challenges in the communication sector and will help transition Malawi into a digital age.

Malawi’s internet penetration rate is as low as 6.8 percent, while that of mobile phone users is rated at 38.3 percent.

Chakwera said if Malawi is going to make good use of the work and tools she gets from development partners, such as the fiber backbone, then Malawians themselves need to get serious in guarding such developments.

“We need to look around us and see the poverty and suffering of our people so that we can put their needs above our own spending appetites, ”Chakwera said.

Speaking earlier, Information Minister Gospel Kazako, said, the project is one of the most defining projects for Malawi’s digital transformation and development journey and that it was in agreement with Malawi’s agenda 2063.

The project, said Kazako, was not only going to connect Malawians, but it was also going to create jobs, and enhance security in the country among other thing.

The Vice President of Huawei Technologies, Southern Africa Region Liao Yong, who gave a symbolic gift to President Chakwera, said the technology will also help farmers to easily access information about their farming needs and will therefore help to improve their farming.

“Most importantly,” said Yong, “the fibre network will connect Malawi to the international world and Africa in particular in increasing creativity and information flow.

“This is more than technology and information, it is also about opportunities and development and it is Malawi’s future.”

Apart from improving connectivity in the country, the fiber project is expected to help lower internet as well as mobile phone costs.

Over the years, most local districts have faced mobile phone and internet challenges but with the fibre network spread across the country, the challenges are expected to be minimised in some areas especially in the rural areas.

Malawi’s internet sector has limited availability and the high cost of international bandwidth has stifled growth and kept broadband access prices high.

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