The Malawian government has been urged to speed up the implementation of its ICT policy, so the country can tap into a fibre optic cable which will improve its Internet connection.
Anthony Mugeere, policy associate for the Collaboration on International ICT Policy in East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) spoke at the stakeholders` consultative meeting in Malawi. He said the Malawian government has to concentrate on creating awareness of the need to have an ICT policy in place. This, he said, would allow the country`s people to benefit from the Eastern Africa Submarine Cable System (Eassy).
Mugeere said though the Malawian government has realised the value of ICT, the development of an ICT policy is slow. This jeopardises private sector ICT projects, he said.
Mugeere urged Malawi`s government, civil society and other stakeholders to push the implementation of an ICT policy.
Mugeere also pointed to a lack of adequate ICT infrastructure to support the new high quality and high speed Eassy connection. This continues to threaten the capacity of African countries to fully exploit the benefit of the cable once it is installed, he said.
The United Nations development programme`s (UNDP) Sam Tabriz said African governments have the responsibility of utilising the Eassy project as it will help in connectivity and development. He said the UNDP will continue to assist the Malawian government on how to strategise Malawi`s ICT policy, since it`s a big tool for development.
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