Malawi to soon launch ‘Smart Village Initiative’ 

Malawi government says it will soon launch a ‘Smart Village Initiative’ in collaboration with Huawei.

President Lazarus Chakwera disclosed this on the sidelines of the Summit of Forum of China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).

Chakwera said establishment of technical training centers for ICT in rural areas will help upskill the youth in digital skills, including AI and cybersecurity, smart agriculture solutions to support our large-scale farm initiatives.

Minister of Information and Digitisation Moses Kunkuyu said the first Smart Villages project will help increase the number of smart villages in Malawi.

He explained this will lead to increased access to connectivity and various online services in rural areas.

Huawei Technologies Managing Director for Malawi, Gomez Gu, said the company was geared to support Malawi in digitalisation, power through micro grids solutions especially for rural areas and computing.

The company is implementing similar projects elsewhere in Africa.

The Smart Village Blueprint was conceived as a practical tool for providing broadband infrastructure to improve Internet access in rural and remote areas.

Smart Villages project comprises a locally led, integrated, and holistic approach to providing access to digital services to all citizens of rural communities, with the integration of digital technologies serving as a crucial enabler of equitable, qualitative and efficient delivery of SDG-related services for all.