By Chisomo Sumani & Patience Kapinda

Lilongwe, July 5, Mana: World Bank has approved funding for the implementation of phase 2 of the Digital Malawi Project, the Digital Malawi Acceleration Project, through the Inclusive Digitalization in Eastern and Southern Africa (IDEA) Programme.

The IDEA programme, which is poised to accelerate digital inclusion for 180 million people across Eastern and Southern Africa, will see the implementation of the Digital Malawi Acceleration Project which aims to leverage improved connectivity and public digital service delivery capacity to accelerate digital services growth across sectors.

Secretary for Information and Digitalization, Baldwin Chiyamwaka, said through Malawi Digital project government will increase access to and inclusive use of the internet and improve its capacity to deliver digitally enabled services.

He disclosed that through the first phase of the project government has achieved significant milestones.

“The project enhanced and increased access to affordable, high-quality internet services for government, businesses and citizens and improved government's capacity to deliver digital public services. There is still a lot to be done but it is not the same as it was five years ago,” he stated.

Director for E-Government in the Ministry of Information and Digitalization, Paul Katema, said: “Government is actively promoting digital inclusion through several initiatives which include, free internet zones, school connectivity, capacity building as well as support for women and girls.”

Katema said specific programmes are aimed at increasing digital literacy and skills among women and girls, ensuring they have equal opportunities to participate in the digital economy.

“Government is actively promoting digital inclusion connecting 2,000 secondary schools to the internet, providing students and teachers with the necessary tools for digital education

“The construction of the primary data Centre in Lilongwe is nearing completion. This will also enhance data management and storage capabilities,” Katema added.

Other programmes include connecting 500 government institutions to the internet, establishing free Wi-Fi zones in Malawi, with over 39 sites currently operational, increasing public access to the internet and developing legislative frameworks to safeguard data privacy and security.

In a press release Vice President for the World Bank’s Eastern and Southern Africa region, Victoria Kwakwa, said IDEA is a holistic programme that will unleash opportunities for hundreds of millions of Africans to actively participate in and contribute to the advancement of the region’s digital economies.

This she underscored the critical importance of public and private sector partnerships in driving sustainable economic growth.