Govt Wants 80% of Malawians on Internet by 2023

The Principal Secretary of E-government in the Ministry of Information and Digitalisation Francis Bisika has said several interventions are being put in place by the government to reach over 80 percent of Malawians with cheaper and reliable Internet by 2023.

He disclosed this in Cape Town in South Africa during an Africa Tech Festival, an event that connects business leaders in the connectivity and communications industry.

"Currently, only 41 percent of Malawians have access to the Internet so the ministry of information is implementing projects and initiatives for 80 per cent of Malawians to be connected to the Internet by 2030," he said.

According to Bisika, the national data centres that were established in Blantyre in July are helping a lot as information from ministries, agencies and departments is being stored in one place.

He said the data centres are also hosting services of Malawians who are developing systems and applications for national development, adding that currently there is demand from the private sector to be accommodated in the data centre.

Secretary General of the African Telecommunications Union John Omo said K100 trillion is required to achieve a digital economy in Africa hence the need for African countries to work together to achieve it.

President of Huawei in the Southern Africa Region Leo Chen said digital infrastructure is the foundation of a digital economy and they are committed to continuing supporting African countries including Malawi.

Huawei supported the Malawi government in the establishment of the National Digital Centre and also promised to train 100 Malawians in ICT every year.

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