Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (Macra) says out of the 14 million registered SIM cards in the country, only one million are in smartphones, meaning that most mobile phone users have no access to the Internet.
In his presentation titled ‘Building a digital nation’ delivered at the seventh edition of the Dynamic Leaders and Gatekeepers Forum (DLGF) in Lilongwe yesterday, Macra director general Daud Sulemani called for strategic investment in improving access to the Internet.
He said while the regulatory body has managed to make data costs affordable, based on the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) index, the cost of smartphones prevents many Malawians from having access to the Internet.
Said Suleman: “The first thing we need to revisit is on taxation. The taxes are slightly higher. Even decoders, about 60 percent of the cost of a decoder are a combination of taxes.
“Secondly, we need to look at an alternative way of bringing these devices into our country. Can we look at a local assembly? For example, we can import different parts of a cell phone and we use technical colleges to assemble these devices. If we assemble the devices locally, the price will be lower and, therefore, we will have more people accessing them.”
He said currently Internet penetration is only at 34 percent, which is worrisome considering the country’s plan to leverage on digital technologies to enhance “the delivery of public services, promote economic development and improve the quality of life for its citizens”.
During the meeting yesterday, it was observed that there is also resistance to digitisation of public service because it erodes unwarranted individual benefits.
Suleman also appealed for what he called “cyber hygiene”, urging Malawians to share online stories that promote a positive image of the country.
In her presentation at the forum, Professor Asiyatu Chiweza said Malawians ought to reject mediocrity and promote integrity.
She said it is disheartening to note the proliferation of fake degrees in the country, for example, adding no one should be proud of those.
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