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Saturday, 23.11.2024
Transforming Government since 2001

MW: Malawi

  • Biometrics support financial services efficiency in Malawi, Nigeria and Ghana as UNHCR ramps up in Niger

    The biometrics business continues as normal in parts of Africa. A new ePassport agency opens in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, despite closed borders and social distancing requirements. Idemia appoints a new East Africa sales director, soon after its good news in Kenya. Nigeria connects more bank accounts to national IDs, Malawi strikes off over 4,000 potential ‘ghost pensioners,’ and at the humanitarian end of the spectrum, the UNHCR is continuing its biometric registration work as it faces tens of thousands of refugees arriving in Niger.

  • Can the Internet transform the lives of poor Malawians? 

    At the recent World Press Freedom Day debate on 5th May, 2012, Arnold Munthali, online editor for Blantyre Newspapers Limited, lamented that Malawi government press releases can only be relayed to the Malawian media via a 20th century relic, the fax machine. This belies the strides the world, including the African continent, have made in harnessing the power of the Internet. Going by her recent State of the Union address, President Joyce Banda aims to maximize the potential of ICT in general, and the Internet in particular. But the digital divide in Malawi is so severe it is dumbfounding to imagine what can be done to make new media work for the transformation of poor Malawians’ lives.

    As of March 31st, 2012, there were 140 million Africans on the Internet, out of approximately one billion people, according to the Internet tracking website www.internetworldstats.com. This translates into 14 percent Internet penetration on the continent. Of these 140 million Africans on the Internet, 40 million were on the social networking site Facebook. In terms of sheer numbers, Nigeria has the biggest number of Internet users, 45 million out of a population of 155 million. In terms of proportion, Morocco has the best percentage, 15.7 million people on the Internet out of 32 million, representing half the population. Egypt and Kenya have one in every four people on the Internet.

  • China gives USD135m for Malawi ICT Project

    The Department of E-Government in the Office of the President and Cabinet has said Malawi government has lined up a number of ICT projects to be implemented through the support from the Chinese government to a tune of over USD135 million.

    Assistant Director in the E-Government Department Grace Hiwa said several ICT components to be implemented in a period of about four to five years will include the expansion of connectivity to 29 districts across the country.

  • Connecting Rural Malawi: A Dream

    As Malawi hosts the 3rd Africa’s leading ICT forum this month, it is probably a good time to let the country look at its progress reducing the digital divide affecting both rural and urban areas.

    The high-level international conference on Connecting Rural Communities in Africa brings about thirty Information and Communication Technologies ministers, experts, regulators and operators from Africa, Middle and Europe will discuss strategies, business models and technology policies for bridging the digital divide.

  • Implementation of biometric voter registration system put on hold in Malawi

    The Malawi Electoral Commission (Mec) has shelved plans regarding the implementation of the biometric voter registration system, saying it will, for the purposes of the 2014 tripartite elections, use the current paper-based solution of capturing voters in the field.

    According to a press statement made available to Marapost Saturday and signed by chief elections officer, Willy Kalonga, the shelved electronic voter registration system would be used in the 2019 elections.

  • Implementing e-health in Malawi

    In low-income countries a substantial challenge in planning and delivering healthcare is the accurate assessment of disease burden. In this week's PLOS Medicine, Miguel SanJoaquin from the University of Malawi College of Medicine and colleagues describe their experience of implementing an electronic patient record system in a large referral hospital in southern Malawi. The system, known as Surveillance Programme of IN-patients and Epidemiology (SPINE), is used to record patient details during consultations and this data can be used to monitor changing patterns of disease at the hospital.

  • Lucius Banda Asks for Wi-Fi Internet Access for MPs in Malawi Parliament to 'Google' Issues

    Balaka North Member of Parliament, Lucius Banda, asked Minister of Information Patricia Kaliati that government should provide free Wi-Fi internet access within the House of Parliament so they can be logged online.

    Banda called for wireless internet access to be made available around Parliament so that MPs can be able to "Google" on matters arising.

  • Malawi biometric voter registry put on hold

    The Malawi Electoral Commission (Mec) says it has shelved plans regarding the implementation of the biometric voter registration system, saying it will, for the purposes of the 2014 tripartite elections, use the current paper-based solution of capturing voters in the field.

    Chief elections officer, Willy Kalonga, said in a news statement made available to Nyasa Times that the electronic voter registration system would be used in the 2019 elections.

  • Malawi concedes it is stuck with e-waste

    Problem affects many African countries

    The Malawian government has for the first time openly acknowledged that it has a serious e-waste problem, highlighting the growing concern by many other countries in the region.

    Last year, 18 African countries and the U.N. agreed on plans to reduce electronic waste, following reports about the growing tide of discarded computer products in the region.

  • Malawi drafts new ICT bill

    Malawi has finished drafting new Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Bill expected to completely overhaul its approach to this new technological phenomenon.

    The final draft of the ‘Electronic Transactions and Management Bill 2013’ which BiztechAfrica has seen, encompasses eleven issues that will fill the gaps that have been haunting operations in Malawi’s ICT sector.

    In the order of presentation in the Bill, issues tackled include the Legal recognition of electronic messages; Proceedings applicable to the conclusion of electronic contracts; Legal responsibility of various actors; Consumer protection with respect to e-commerce; Taxation; Online financial services; and Encryption.

  • Malawi Electoral Commission adopts electronic voter registration system

    The Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) has adopted the use of Electronic Biometric Voter Registration System in the country in order to address the enormous challenges the commission has been experiencing in maintaining a credible voters roll.

    A Biometric Voter Registration involves the use of biometric technologies with the use of computers, fingerprint scanners and digital cameras to capture the bio data of applicants.

  • Malawi eyes biometric voting

    Malawi’s Electoral Commission says it is to adopt an electronic biometric voter registration system.

    The move follows what the Electoral Commission describes as ‘enormous challenges in maintaining a credible voters’ roll’. The main challenge was data capture in the field, which the new system will resolve.

    The biometric voter registration system will use fingerprint scanners and digital cameras to capture the biometric data of applicants.

  • Malawi gears up for e-governance

    Over 70 percent of government ministries and departments in Malawi will be electronically connected as one way promoting efficient communication among civil servants in the delivery of service to the public.

    Manager for Government Wide Area Network (GWAN) Patrick Machika told the country’s national news agency, Malawi News Agency (Mana) that government in collaboration with the World Bank embarked on the project which will take five years at a cost US$3.2 million.

  • Malawi gov’t pledges jobs to computer science graduates

    Government has appreciated Information and Communication Technology (ICT) as the “backbone” of highly developed countries and has thus promised to consider employing computer science graduates in strategic government ministries.

    Principal Secretary (PS) in the Ministry of Information, Tourism, Culture and Civic education made the assertion in Lilongwe Friday where she presided over projects presentation symposium by final year Bachelor of Computer Science students of University of Malawi’s Chancellor College (Chanco).

  • Malawi government drafts 'E-bill'

    The government of Malawi has announced the completion of the drafting of the electronic legislation called 'E-bill', which now awaits input from institutions and individuals before parliament passes it into law.

    10 areas of focus

    The draft copy has 62 sections that address ten areas.

    The first area focusses on 'legal recognition of electronic messages', which the bills acknowledges does not exist as such in the current legal framework, whereas it is a condition to the development of electronic transactions in the country.

  • Malawi government ICT under siege

    There is a general outcry in ministries and departments that government Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) is pathetic.

    A leaked document to Nyasa Times indicates that the main cause of wretched ICT in government is because of poor human resource allocation.

    Government advertised some vacancies in the ICT department and they ranged from; from Grade K (Programmer) up to Chief Systems Analyst/Programmer (Grade F/P5), including those based at NACIT, DISTMS and in Ministries/Departments.

  • Malawi keen on submarine cable connection with Tanzania

    Malawi Government intends to connect submarine cables from Tanzania to Malawi so that residents of the neighbouring country can get affordable and accessible ICT as well as boost internet services.

    This follows meetings between Patricia Kaliati, Malawi Minister for Information and Civic Education and her host Prof Makame Mbarawa, Minister for Communication, Science and Technology,

    Kaliati also consulted with TCRA management and TTCL management to learn from them Tanzania’s experience in ICT so as to introduce the same in her country. The Malawian minister has been in the country for five days.

  • Malawi MPs send back electronic transaction bill to House committees: To regulate online content

    Legislators on Wednesday sent back a comprehensive Electronic Transaction Bill, that would fight cyber crime, regulate electronic money transactions and regulate online publications, among others if passed into law.

    Most MPs praised the government for the Bill which they said is very comprehensive but needed technical input from the Media and Communications committee, the Budget and Finance committee and Legal committee.

  • Malawi urged to develop an aggressive ICT policy

    If Malawi is to speed up its integration into the global village, then it must develop more aggressive policies on Information Communication Technology (ICT), an expert has said.

    The expert, Dr Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, chief executive officer of the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organization (CTO), was speaking after meeting with senior staff of Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (Macra) on Tuesday.

  • Malawi wont use biometric voter registration for 2014 polls-official

    Malawi Electoral Commission recently announced it has adopted the use of electronic system to register all voters and prospective voters for the tripartite elections.

    MEC Chief Elections Officer Willie Kalonga said in Lilongwe on Monday that the body has taken into consideration various concerns, risks and logistical challenges inherent to the implementation of the system.

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