By Sheminah Nkhoma

Lilongwe, March 12, Mana: Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) has urged Civil Society Organisations (CSOs)  to raise awareness on digital laws and data protection that negatively impact on people’s rights.

Speaking on Wednesday in Lilongwe during a digital rights workshop, MACRA Director General Daud Suleman said lack of adequate laws that explain crimes that one commits when using various digital platforms is one key area affecting efforts to deal with illegal behaviors in the digital space.

He said, MACRA has put focus on law reforms to ensure that legislation has been strengthened as current laws have some gaps, hence using laws which were implemented in 2016.

“Digital literacy and awareness remains a big gap in the country, there is a need to engage with stakeholders and CSOs so that we work together in the digital laws and data protection.

“The level of internet penetration in Malawi is very high and we need to observe safety measures as many digital threats are happening out there,” he said.

Suleman emphasised the need of continued efforts in raising awareness on digital regulations and having such engagements with stakeholders.

"We have the Cybersecurity Act, which has been there since 2016, which most people are not aware of, and they end up committing these cybercrimes on digital platforms,” said Suleman

In her remarks, Presidential advisor on non-state actors, Martha Kwataine commended MACRA for such meetings, saying CSOs have a role to play in raising public awareness on pieces of legislation.

” As CSOs we advocate for human rights and there is a need for us to also understand issues of digital laws in a digital age of which we have several digital platforms,” she said.

The workshop focused on key topics, including an overview of the Data Protection Act 2024, the legal framework for digital rights, and the role of CSOs in digital policy advocacy