Malawi not doing well in internet usage – Survey
Research findings of a study done by the National Statistical Office (NSO) in conjunction with Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) have indicated that the country is not doing well in the area of internet usage.
The Survey targeted 12,000 households and 12,000 individuals and the findings indicated that six percent of the population use internet.
The findings showed that 55 percent of the targeted audience for the survey could not use internet because they could not afford it.
Deputy Director General for MACRA Francis Bisika said the survey being the first of its kind, tried as much as possible to capture data and information on ICT indicators as defined by the guidelines and methodologies set by International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the World Summit Information Society (WSIS) and the Universal Postal Union (UPU) as well as those on recent global ICT developments.
“Looking at the findings, you will see that we have made some headway in the access to and usage of broadcasting and postal and courier services but still have some challenges in access to and usage of some ICT services in the telecommunications sector.
He added: “Let these findings, therefore, be our wakeup call and re-ignite us into action to make Malawi yet another ICT Success story.”
He said the findings will go a long way in helping Government, the public and private sectors and the nation at large take stock of achievements as well as gaps in the communications sector adding they [the findings] will also act as a motivation and roadmap to make ICT as a catalyst for economic growth in Malawi.
MACRA commissioned the national survey on ICT services and engaged the services of the National Statistical Office (NSO) to independently carry out the survey on access to and usage of ICT services in Malawi in 2014 and 2015.
The survey covered aspects of accessibility to and usage of telecommunications, broadcasting and postal services in the country. The main objective of the survey was to establish reliable data on the access to and usage of ICT services at household and individual levels in the country as baseline for comparable statistics with other countries.
Coordinator for the survey Lizzie Chikoti said this is a baseline survey so that the service providers should see where they need to improve on the services they are giving to the public.
You should start by providing every household with electricity, (that works), as computers require this as a basic starting point. You may then find that most people in Malawi do not think internet is the first thing they use when connected to electricity, as most of them do not own a computer, they’re too busy saving up to buy a light bulb. Get real, Malawi, first things first. 1. Make sure people have enough to eat. You’re having problems there. 2. Get your health system sorted out. The right drugs in your hospitals, enough petrol to run ambulances, paying your… Read more »
Kkkkkkkkk ndemanga ndi anthu ake
Internet cost in Malawi is very high.
It has out priced the majority of the population.
@Nyani_waku_Mayani! I dont agree with you! Rwanda is a landlocked country but internet usage is far ahead of Malawi. You should ask your puppet President and MACRA to tell u the actual problem!
Your comment is just hot air – nonsense. What point are you trying to make? get your thoughts organized before putting fingers to keyboard.
N S O and MACRA, how can many malawians us internet when it is one of the most expensive in all the region.
I blame joyce banda for everything. …shes took Internet money
Another curse for being an inland, land locked, country, I guess. Under sea cables mostly terminate on the coast. So our East African cousins are lucky, and they can have very good and fast service all along the coast, if they wish. But for countries like Malawi, Zambia and zimbabwe, the picture is bleakest. There apparently is, or being planned, an undersea cable from The Indian Ocean – Tanzania along the lakes all the way to Uganda to serve that area. How about us? What’s the deterrent against an undersea cable being laid along the Zambezi, and branching into the… Read more »
You go to overseas you will find that internet is almost free to their citizens while in Malawi the government is charging heavily by collecting money through the Internet usurers . DPP government is money hungly no wonder you imposed VAT & Surtax on nthumbwana zambuzi and ng’ombe trying to milk an already thin cow. What a shame ?