By Benadetta Chiwanda Mia:
The government has been challenged to put in place regulatory frameworks to guide technological advancements and bridge the digital gap in the country.
Nico Technologies Chief Executive Officer, who is also ICT Association of Malawi President, Clarence Gama observed that businesses must advance in information systems and operations with the use of technology for them to remain competitive.
He noted that although Malawi has made some strides in the sector, the country is still lagging behind in creating a conducive environment for such advancements to take place.
“These technologies mainly need connectivity, and while our internet connectivity state has been slowly progressing, more still needs to be done,” Gama said.
Gama conceded that the introduction of some technology solutions service providers has resulted in improved internet access and availability.
He however, stressed the need for proper regulatory frameworks to guide technological developments like artificial intelligence to generate gains for Malawi.
“For this to be achieved, we need to promote skills development. Aside from the infrastructure, we need proper access to digital devices because even technologies like artificial intelligence require the use of such devices,” Gama added
Industry regulator, the Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority, has said the government is implementing strategies to promote ICT skills development and infrastructure.
Macra Team Leader for Muuni Project Wezi Salima said the authority has finalised development of the Digital Innovation and Entrepreneurship Bill.
Once tabled, the bill is expected to provide a more favourable environment for digital innovators and entrepreneurs to accelerate their innovations.
“We want innovators and entrepreneurs to be able to incubate their ideas, to create prototypes out of these ideas and once they have done so, we are providing a framework for them to accelerate their innovations by having these innovations listed on the alternative stock market as part of capital building so that they can stand on their own as businesses,” Salima explained.
She further disclosed that the country is implementing initiatives such as the ongoing revision of the school curriculum to bring in more technology subjects in the education system so as to promote ICT skills development.
The 2024 ICT Development Index Ranking of African countries ranks Malawi on number 39 out of 47 countries, with a score of 33.1 points, with Libya ranked on first position with a score of 88.1 points.
Head of Computer Science and Information Systems at the Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences Patrick Albert Chikumba said progress is being made, especially in tertiary education, to promote digital technology in line with industry demands.
“The revision of the education curriculum offers hope in aligning our education systems with industry demands, especially at primary and secondary school levels, as the majority of the population do not go beyond this level of education,” Chikumba said
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