National Addressing System project kick-starts in Central Region

* The current national budget allocated funds for the exercise with an expectation to have all works completed within the financial year

* We need to make people in our communities be well aware of this project and its benefits for it to be a success

By Nellie Kapatuka, MANA

Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) says government has allocated funds to implement the National Addressing System project in Central Region districts during the 2023/24 financial year.

This was disclosed when the organisation engaged Lilongwe District Council on the project, which already started in Northern Region as well as the country’s four cities.

MACRA’s Communication Manager, Zadziko Mankhambo said the current national budget allocated funds for the exercise with an expectation to have all works completed within the financial year.

Making a presentation on the same, MACRA’s acting Director of Postal Services, Barnet Namacha said there are social and economic benefits attached to the project, among them is increased accuracy in collecting census information and also effective response to emergency situations.

Namacha, therefore, urged the Council members to collaborate with the organisation towards the realisation of the project’s intended goals — emphasizing that the project will help in the identification of all areas in the country using the physical address format where post codes in districts will be identified through traditional authorities and townships.

“We need to make people in our communities be well aware of this project and its benefits for it to be a success, hence the engagement with the local council as a way of making sure we achieve a smooth project implementation,” he said.

Mankhambo, however, bemoaned vandalism as one of the challenges they have so far encountered in the implementation of the project in the country.

In his remarks, Lilongwe District Commissioner, Lawford Palani hailed the project, describing it as progressive as the country moves towards digitisation.

The National Addressing System was rolled out in 2016 in Blantyre on a pilot phase before extending to other cities and districts in the country.