Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) Director General Daudi Suleiman has noted that Malawi’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has stagnated for long, raising the need to shift to other sectors like technology.

In his remarks during the opening of a Cyber Security Conference for Academia in Lilongwe, Suleiman attributed the slow growth to low production.

He made reference to the continued reliance on the country’s green gold (Tobacco) as a major export and forex earner as one contributing factor.

“Our GDP is very small and not responding to current needs. Technology has the potential to compliment the country’s agro-based economy,” said Suleiman.

Suleiman hinted on a number of issues being undertaken by MACRA that include lobbying for Zero-Rating of education websites and pursuing the Data Must Fall Campaign.

Chief Executive Officer for Malawi Research and Education Network Solomon Ndindi called on government to strive at creating a conducive environment for a thriving cyber space.

Said Ndindi; “We have a direct role to play to make sure that the traffic passing through our network is secure enough. Attacks should be sent back and at the same time. We need to work with universities, to make sure that they protect themselves, as you know that sometimes the enemy is within.”

The Malawi 2063 envisions creating a robust ICT infrastructure with cross-country coverage of reliable and affordable services fostering technological adoption and digital access.

Ahead of the new farming season, a seed manufacturer and distributor SEED CO Malawi has awarded an agricultural enterprise, Go Jet Investment as the best seed distributor for the North in the 2022 – 2023 selling and farming season.

The amount of water which the country is losing across all water boards, before it reaches consumers (Non-Revenue Water) has slightly increased from 35% last year, to 39% this year, officials have revealed.

The loss translates to MK60 billion total annual revenue that the country’s water boards are failing to realise.

Lilongwe Water Board (LWB) alone according to the institution’s Chief Executive Officer, Silli Mbewe loses MK15 billion Kwacha annually, a majority of this through leaked pipes, theft and illegal connections.

“We have two major causes, physical and commercial losses, we are losing more water from the physical loss and these are pipe breakages and vandalism,” said Mbewe.

Mbewe further revealed that, through the Strengthening the Capacity of Non-Revenue Water Reduction for Lilongwe Water Board project (LiSCap), LWB intends to strengthen institution and human capacity to sustain interventions towards abating the vice.

Image: Sili Mbewe

LWB on Wednesday held a 9th Joint Coordinating Committee (JCC) for the project which brought together officials from all the water boards to explore better ways of dealing with the problem.

Director for Water Supply Services at the ministry of Water and Sanitation, Prince Mleta asked the water boards to invest in water supply systems as he said this is key to achieving development.

“Issues of non-revenue water are very well connected with initiatives that Government is taking, because we are using so much resources to clean the water to make sure that we are suppling the customers. So we are in line with the policy of sustainable goal number six, but also the Malawi 2063 development agenda,” Mleta said.

Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is an implementing partner for the project and its Chief Representative, Kazuhiro Tambala is hoping that through the project, Malawi will see a reduction in non-revenue water.

Said Tambala; “We work together in the formulation of strategic plan to reduce non-revenue water, as well as actual ground to find ways of how to solve the problem.”

LiSCap was designed to enhance capacity for NRW reduction management for LWB an reduce improve the efficiency of water-use in the city of Lilongwe.

The CCAP Blantyre Synod has called upon its faithful to remain steadfast in prayer to ensure free, fair, transparent and accountable elections for the synod.