Malawian ICT firm challenges Govt, private sector to ditch foreign software

Malawian software development and technology services company Easy Books has challenged Government, the private sector and individuals to ditch foreign financial management systems for locally developed alternatives, saying continued reliance on imported software is draining millions in scarce foreign exchange.

Easy Books Managing Director Fiaso Samson made the call on Tuesday in Lilongwe during the official handover of the company’s accounting software to the Nurses and Midwives Council of Malawi (NMCM).

Samson said Malawi was losing substantial forex through payments for foreign software licences, subscriptions, maintenance and technical support, despite the country having the capacity to develop and sustain its own technology solutions.

“As a country we are losing a lot of forex in the process of importing software and paying for international licences and maintenance,” Samson said.

He said locally developed platforms such as Easy Books demonstrate that Malawian companies can build, deploy and support systems that meet international standards while keeping money circulating within the local economy.

The NMCM migration represents Easy Books’ first full deployment within a government institution, a development the company described as a significant step in Malawi’s digital transformation and localisation drive.

The company said the council’s adoption of the platform will eliminate the need to spend foreign exchange on external licensing and maintenance, while giving the institution direct access to local technical support and system customisation.

Samson said Easy Books has already provided digital solutions to more than 60 institutions, including the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), Sico Civils, Alidziwa Health Services and the Blantyre Malaria Project.

“However, NMCM is the first government body to fully migrate to the platform,” he said.

He challenged government departments, non-governmental organisations and businesses to audit their existing financial management systems and assess whether locally developed alternatives can meet their needs before committing scarce forex to foreign providers.

“Local innovation must be given a chance to compete,” Samson said. “When public institutions lead by example, the private sector will follow, and together we build a self-reliant digital economy.”

For NMCM Board Chairperson Angella Chiotcha, however, the decision to abandon a long-standing foreign system was not based on patriotism alone but on whether the Malawian alternative could withstand rigorous scrutiny.

Chiotcha said the Board subjected management’s proposal to detailed examination before approving the transition, given its responsibility to protect the council’s governance, finances and reputation.

She said Easy Books ultimately earned the Board’s confidence because the decision was supported by evidence rather than sentiment.

“What convinced the Board was not sentiment but substance,” Chiotcha said.

She said the Board found a system capable of meeting international standards of financial control, supported by a local technical team that could be held accountable and operates within Malawi’s regulatory environment.

Chiotcha said the decision carries significance beyond the council because other public institutions and boards are watching to see whether local technology can deliver at the required standard.

She argued that the long-standing assumption that locally developed technology cannot be trusted in public institutions had now been tested and found wanting.

“The excuse that local technology solutions cannot be trusted within public institutions no longer holds,” she said.

According to Chiotcha, Malawi can no longer justify sending forex abroad to pay for capabilities that are already available within the country.

She said institutions that continue importing such services without first testing credible local alternatives were making a choice rather than responding to necessity.

Chiotcha congratulated NMCM management and staff for conducting what she described as a rigorous evaluation and executing the migration successfully, while commending Easy Books for meeting and exceeding the standards required by the council.

The development comes amid persistent pressure on Malawi’s foreign exchange reserves, putting renewed focus on the role of local production and services in reducing dependence on imported goods and expertise.

For Easy Books, the NMCM deal is therefore more than a software handover. It is a challenge to Malawi’s public and private sectors to reconsider how much money the country sends abroad for technology that Malawian companies are increasingly capable of providing at home.

Follow and Subscribe Nyasa TV :