Malawi affirms its commitment to Connected Africa at the inaugural Connected Africa Summit which started on Monday at Uhuru Gardens in Nairobi, Kenya.

Speaking during a panel discussion on Digital Trade and E-commerce, Secretary for Information and Digitalization, Baldwin Chiyamwaka, underscored Malawi’s commitment to digitalisation citing President Dr Lazarus Chakwera’s unwavering political will.

“Malawi is steadily on the path to digitalisation with strong political will from our President, Dr Lazarus Macarthy Chakwera whose administration’s commitment is evident in a number of ways,” he said.

Chiyamwaka outlined Malawi’s digital strides as it accelerates efforts to achieve an inclusive wealth creation that offers Malawians access to a prosperous economy, the core objective of the overarching Government Blueprint, the Malawi 2063.

Highlighting key accomplishments in ICT infrastructure connectivity, Chiyamwaka revealed substantial growth in mobile and internet connectivity from 45% in 2020 to about 64% in 2023, with internet penetration increasing from 31% in 2020 to 43% in 2023.

He also discussed key policies and legislation put in place to support digitalization, such as the National Digitalization Policy, the Digital Economy Strategy, the Data Protection Act, the National Cybersecurity Strategy and the National Postal Policy.

Chiyamwaka underlined government’s key targets in network access, device access, digital skills, e-trade, Digital Financial Services and Digital Government where he disclosed Malawi’s plans to among other things, significantly increase internet usage from 43% in 2023 to 80% of the population by 2026 and broadband from 60% in 2023 to 95% by 2026 with key initiatives including public Wi-Fi to the communities under the Digital Malawi Project.

The Secretary for Information and Digitalization also revealed other ongoing projects and initiatives aimed at promoting digital trade and e-commerce, such as the finalized Malawi Digital Economy Strategy. He emphasized the significance of legislative instruments to govern cyberspace and address cybersecurity and digital trade.

“In recognising the importance of e-commerce and the need for the provision of security, safety, privacy and general governance in cyberspace, Malawi has been aggressive in the development of legislature, policy and strategies to govern and guide transactions and interactions within cyberspace,” he stated.

During the summit’s opening, Kenya’s President, William Samuel Ruto, said that the primary ambition of the Summit was to lay a foundation of sustainable connectivity for Africa.

“Through determined collaboration and innovation, we will lay a sustainable foundation of connectivity and empower the people of Africa to achieve the UN sustainable development goals, as well as the AU’s Agenda 2063,” he said.

The inaugural Connected Africa Summit 2024(CAS24), organized by the Kenyan Ministry of Information, Communications, and the Digital Economy, has brought together over 5000 high-profile delegates within Africa, ICT Ministers, ICT Principal Secretaries, ICT Statutory bodies CEOs, ICT Industry leaders, high profile government officials, businesses, academia, global investors, Development partners and international organizations across Africa and beyond. Credit : Malawi News Agency Mana.