more resources into the development and use of ICT in order to be more efficient
and effective in their operations.
Malawi, as one of the developing economies in the world, has over the years faced
a number of socio-economic challenges which are associated, among other things,
with inadequate communication infrastructure, very low utilization of ICTs and
lack of information.
Major reforms in the ICT sector started in the 1990s through separation and
commercialization of the then incumbent Telecom operator and Post Office into
Malawi Telecom Limited (MTL) and Malawi Postal Corporation (MPC), respectively.
These reforms were supported by the Communications Sector Policy and the
Communications Act of 1998. In addition, through the
Act, the Malawi
Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) was established. However, with
passage of time, the 1998 Communications Sector Policy has been overtaken by
the significant developments in ICT.
The Millennium Development Goals (MDG) report of 2011 for Malawi indicates that
use of Internet by the population in Malawi improved from the low levels of 0.07
percent in 2005 to 17 percent in 2011. Use of mobile and fixed telephones (teledensity) has improved from 2.63 percent to about 27 percent in the same period.
This is largely due to the increase in use of mobile telephones.
While data on
computer ownership and use for Malawi is not available, the country has a very
low computer density as compared to other countries in the African region.
Furthermore, most of the telephones and computers are concentrated in urban
areas. Government of Malawi, through various initiatives, has provided a total of
51 tele-centres that are currently operating in rural areas, providing access to ICT
equipment and Internet services to the general public. Currently Malawi is ranked
number 159 out of the 190 countries on the UNDP’s e-government development
index.
For Malawi to play a meaningful role in the global economy, the above status
needs to improve.
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