Telecom

Malawi adopts 5-year universal telecom service strategy

Malawi adopts 5-year universal telecom service strategy
Wednesday, 29 September 2021 15:44

The Telecom penetration rate has declined in Malawi between 2019 and 2021, according to Hootsuite and We Are Social. With digital transformation at the heart of future economic development challenges, the country has revised its plans to densify network coverage.

The Republic of Malawi has adopted a universal telecommunications service strategy for the next five years. The plan was developed by the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organization (CTO) as part of the World Bank-funded Digital Malawi project.

“The drafting of the strategic plan means that over 720,000 Malawians will be connected to the broadband access and services, 1,300 institutions to Wi-Fi access, 470 institutions to electricity and over 94% of Malawians connected to a television signal,” explained Emily Lungu (pictured), Head of Universal Service Fund (USF) at MACRA- Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority.

As a reminder, in April 2019, Malawi's Public-Private Partnership Commission (PPPC) had hired CTO's expertise to develop a universal service framework. The goal was to improve the low telecom penetration, which constitutes a potential drag on the country's digital transformation. According to Hootsuite and We Are Social's Digital Report 2021, the mobile penetration rate was 42.7% in January, down 1.3 points from 2019.

In the report "MALAWI ECONOMIC MONITOR. June 2021. Investing in Digital Transformation," the World Bank estimates that investing in telecom infrastructure will enable Malawi to build a strong digital bedrock that will help improve productivity in various sectors such as agriculture.

Muriel Edjo

On the same topic
Tunisia has digitized about 3.6 million documents out of 5.2 million archive boxes. Authorities identify audiovisual archives as a priority due to...
15 Nigerian states scrap telecom right-of-way charges to boost fiber rollout Policy linked to faster expansion and improved network quality 21 states...
Libya NOC explores private-sector partnerships in refining and downstream sectors Talks target capacity expansion, gas use optimization, and reduced...
Burkina Faso engages Italian investors to advance digital transformation plans Talks focus on drones, data systems, and public-private...
Most Read
01

Enko Capital acquires Servair’s fast-food unit in Côte d’Ivoire, including the Burger King franchi...

Enko Capital Buys Burger King Côte d’Ivoire in Servair Restructuring
02

(EBID) - EBID aims to allocate nearly 41% of its commitments to projects with environmental and...

EBID makes giant strides for a green transition in west africa
03

As the Japanese automaker faces global headwinds, it is doubling down on its operations in Egypt, ai...

From South Africa to Egypt: Why Nissan is reshaping its African strategy
04

Mobile phones have become essential tools for work, education, payments and staying connected across...

EU Mandates Removable Phone Batteries. What It Means for Africa’s Device Market 
05

Africa produces what it doesn’t consume, and consumes what it doesn’t produce. That stark line captu...

“Private Investors Are Not Philanthropists: Risk Must Be Shared” — Tarek Toko Chabi, BOAD
Enter your email to receive our newsletter

Ecofin Agency provides daily coverage of nine key African economic sectors: public management, finance, telecoms, agribusiness, mining, energy, transport, communication, and education.
It also designs and manages specialized media, both online and print, for African institutions and publishers.

SALES & ADVERTISING

regie@agenceecofin.com 
Tél: +41 22 301 96 11 
Mob: +41 78 699 13 72


EDITORIAL
redaction@agenceecofin.com

More information
Team
Publisher

ECOFIN AGENCY

Mediamania Sarl
Rue du Léman, 6
1201 Geneva
Switzerland

 

Ecofin Agency is a sector-focused economic news agency, founded in December 2010. Its web platform was launched in June 2011. ©Mediamania.

 
 

Please publish modules in offcanvas position.