MACRA Director General, Daudi Suleman
* Digitalisation will help the country to have a state of preparedness in case of emergencies such as cyclones and other natural disasters
* With digitalisation and the use of data, we will be in a better position to predict our crop harvesting statistics and forewarn the nation on what to grow during planting farming season
By Gift Chiponde, MANA
The emergence of digital technologies in Malawi can help Malawi to create robust early warning systems to detect adverse weather conditions.
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This was hinted by Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) Director General, Daud Suleman today at the opening of a two-day International Communication Union (ITU) regional workshop on cost models for data services and international internet connectivity.
He added that the country can venture into a digital economy through the availability of affordable internet connectivity and access to smartphones, saying: “As one of the least developed countries, we require digitalisation.
“And this is the only enabler that will allow us as a nation to achieve and attain 70% of the Malawi sustainable development goals by 2030.
“Currently, we are at a position where only a few Malawians are connected to the internet, and connecting to the internet unlocks a potential opportunity since the world has become digital and has also created a globalised market.”
This he expressed optimism that digitalisation will help the country to have a state of preparedness in case of emergencies such as cyclones and other natural disasters.
“With digitalisation and the use of data, we will be in a better position to predict our crop harvesting statistics and forewarn the nation on what to grow during planting farming season” Suleman said.
He added that despite Malawi having cheap data in the African region, government is doing everything possible to ensure that 70% of those not connected to the internet grid can connect themselves with cheaper internet connectivity.
A recent survey that was conducted by Lilongwe University of Agriculture & Natural Resources (LUANAR), Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and Malawi Agriculture Policy Advancement & Transformation Agenda (MwAPATA) Institute, observed that one of the contributing factors of drought and floods is that the majority of the small scale farmers have limited access to early warning information — with only 44.1% having access to it.
And that inaction by a significant proportion of those who received the information (44.8%) worsens the situation as they still do not adhere to the weather warnings.
Thus the report, authored by James Campbell (Chief of Party, CRS); Chisomo Ngosi (Program Manager, CRS); Dr Anderson Gondwe (Research Fellow, MwAPATA Institute) calls for improved communication with actionable advice is necessary.
One of the five-point recommendation that addresses immediate needs and builds long-term resilience include strengthening early warning systems and enabling informed action.
“To improve communication, we must expand access to clear and actionable early warnings and preparedness information through a multi-channel approach,” said the survey’s report.
This is what Suleman alluded to in providing the citizenry, including farmers, access to internet connectivity, smartphones and cheap data.
The Director General said the workshop will help the regulatory body to ensure that Malawians are connected to the internet, which is one of the enablers in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Kunkuyu
On his part, Minister of Information & Digitalisation, Moses Kunkuyu reiterated government’s commitment in providing affordable and accessible internet connectivity to all Malawians.
Vijay Maurce, who is the Standardise Bureau programme coordinator at ITU, said the workshop is approving a platform for knowledge sharing on best practices that can be adopted by different countries.
He also emphasised that affordable internet connectivity drives the socio-economic livelihoods and the development of other industries such as artificial intelligence — hence the need for all regional countries to have affordable and accessible internet.
ITU, the United Nations specialised agency for information and communication technologies (ICTs), is made up of a membership of 193 States and more than 1,000 companies, universities, and international & regional organisations.—Additional reporting by Duncan Mlanjira, Maravi Express
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