Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority says the rate for people accessing digital space in the country has jumped to 36.9% from 18% the past three years.

MACRA Director General Daudi Suleman says the dropping of data prices, access to smart devices and global trends for people to be connected are some factors propelling the rise in percentage for internet users in the country.

He said this after engaging over 130 Seventh Day Adventist Communicators from Central Malawi Conference on the Data Protection law approved last year,

“From the church point of view, they collect a lot of data about their church members, a lot of data about their health status, their mental wellbeing, their financial status…that data has to be protected and the church members have to feel that they are secured when they are submitting their data to church platforms,” said Suleman.

The law among others provides protection to personal data and integrity of people and institutions in line with the right to privacy enshrined in the country’s constitution

Ida Zinaukaona one of the church communicators said understanding the law is  critical for the protection of data of people they engage with as communicators in the church.

She said the session on data protection law was an eye opener “to protect the data of people I am engaging with so that they should feel comfortable providing their information which could help save others in a number of ways.”

The church, according to director of communications, Central Malawi Conference Grace Timale Mazunda has the past seven years been conducting annual conferences for communicators to equip them with skills and knowledge on emerging technologies for effective communication.

“In this noisy world with a lot of misinformation and disinformation through social media, church communicators are helping a lot in building the trust and faith of members on church beliefs as well as matters affecting their social development,” she said.

Besides writing and communication skills, the communicators are also drilled on effective use of new media channels, resourcefulness to pass messages of hope to people that are suffering spiritually, socially and mentally.

Mazunda explained  “If we don’t train them, they will end up sharing information that is not relevant, information that will add more suffering to the people they serve.”