MACRA committed towards achieving acceleration of digital literacy

Mzuzu, August 14, Mana: Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) says it committed towards accelerating digital literacy as one-way of bridging digital divide amongst young people and the nation as a whole.

The remarks were made Wednesday in Mzuzu by MACRA Director General, Daud Suleman during National Youth Conversations Series on the role of youth in bridging digital divide which was organized by National Youth Council of Malawi (NYCOM).

Suleman said some of the contributing factors to digital divide in the country include limited access to affordable smart digital devices that can connect to internet.

He added that more people in urban areas are connected to internet than in rural areas hence resulting into a wide digital divide due to factors which include lack of digital infrastructure.

Suleman then said the most important to address digital divide to attain universal digitalization where all public posts in both rural and urban areas should have digital services to be accessed by every one for meaningful development.

“There are about 14 million sim cards out of which 1 million are on smart phones that can connect to internet while almost all the 14 million use mobile wallets using digital financial transactions.

This indicates that more people are knowledgeable of financial digital transactions but not connected to internet,” said Suleman.

He added that most of the young people who have smart phones do not use internet facility meaningfully and urged them to utilize the facility in promoting digital innovations, activism and entrepreneurships as opportunities have gone digital.

Suleman however was quick to say that the authority is planning to embark on local device assembly where by the authority will be importing parts of smart phones and be assembled in Malawi.

“This approach will reduce high tax regime on such devices and lowering their cost. The initiative will also be a catalyst in transferring digital skill to the youth as they will be ones assembling the phones.

The end product is that we are going to have affordable digital devices hence improving accessibility to the phones resulting into digital literacy and utilization acceleration,” he said.

The MACRA Director General added the authority has also embarked on a Connect a School Program through which the authority is constructing computer laboratories in all constituencies across the country to accelerate access to digital platforms through internet.

According to Associate Professor, Chomora Mikeka who is also Director of Science, Technologies and Innovations in Ministry of Education, the education sector is striving to have internet connectivity to all schools in 2030.

“Out of 6,954 primary schools, only 140 of them are connected and would like to have all of them all online.

We have many players under Connect a School Program and these players include MACRA, Universal Service Fund, Airtel PLC, Unicef and Digital Malawi Accelerator Project which is targeting to connect 2000 schools with most of them being secondary schools so that we promote digital literacy,” said Mikeka.

Board Chairperson for NYCOM, Duncan Chiyani the council organize a series of conversation for the youth to make tangible contributions towards the development of the country and share their vision of what country they would like to have in various aspects.

“This is the third in a series of conversations and the first one was on youth contributions to food systems and the second one was on young people and elections.

Today’s conversation is ‘Bridging the Digital Divide: Are Malawian Youth Ready to lead in the Digital Revolution towards Malawi 20263’.” said Chiyani.

One of the participants to the conversations, Erick Banda of Nkhata Bay Youth Network appealed to young people to lobby Parliament to consider including Digital Responsive Budget in Constituency Development Fund.