Malawi address, postcode project pilot phase under review – Macra

The Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) is currently reviewing findings from pilot phase of National Addressing and Postcode Project that ended early last year before rolling out the project countrywide.

Macra’s Director General Godfrey Itaye said currently experts are reviewing the pilot phase in order to determine successes and challenges of the project before rolling out countrywide starting with four major cities of Blantyre, Lilongwe, Mzuzu and Zomba.

The regulator completed the pilot phase early 2018 with almost 90 percent of work done where they targeted Namiwawa, Makata, Chinyonga, Ndirande, Safalawo residential areas and three villages in Lilangwe, Blantyre rural.

In the targeted areas in the pilot phase, Namiwawa represents low density areas; Makata Industrial Area represents industrial areas; Chinyonga represents medium density areas, Ndirande Safarao represents high density areas whereas Somola, Somba and Masanjala villages in Lirangwe represent rural areas.

“There is need for Malawians to embrace with speed the implementation of the national addressing system in order to enjoy the social economic developments. Once fully operational, the project will enhance service delivery in the post and courier industry following introduction of a comprehensive system of property location, numbering, mapping and associated processes,” said Itaye.

However, the pilot phase that has just been completed in Blantyre revealed some resistance among Malawians coupled with vandalism of the projects property such as streets poles and house numbering.

During the interface meeting on national addressing system with members of the media last year, the regulatory body singled out vandalism as a major setback that has been experienced during the pilot phase though commendable progress had been registered on the physical addressing and postcode project which rolled out in December, 2016.

Once rolled out fully, the regulatory body is planning to make the project legal binding so that the body can have legal mandate to enforce it so that everybody should embrace the goodness of the positive development.

As noted, since vandalism has been a big challenge, MACRA plans to undertake huge sensitization meetings in Zomba, Lilongwe and Mzuzu and Blantyre where it plans to carry out the exercise before rolling out to the districts.

The National Addressing and Postcode Project is a multi-stakeholder driven national project aimed at establishing a comprehensive national addressing system with the following components, a National Postcode System National Addressing Standards,  National Address & Postcode Database, Physical Address Infrastructure, Geographic Information System (GIS) Support for the Addressing Database, Public Awareness & Sensitization.

National Addressing and Postcode Project is a five-year project with a possibility of extension, the budget of the exercise was pegged at $25 million.

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