Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) Director General Daudi Suleman has stressed the need for more investment towards the country’s ICT sector.
Suleman made the remarks during the launch of the K410 Million MUUNI Fund which MACRA is funding to promote research and innovation within the ICT sector.
Addressing delegates that graced the launch, Suleman said the country has huge potential to grow its ICT sector but what has been lacking is proper investment towards the sector.
“We have identified the problems and solutions to our problems but what we don’t have is proper investment for those solutions to materialise. We need to invest in our ICT sector”, said Suleman.
According to Suleman the country is on track to ensuring a 100 percent 4G internet access to its citizenry as currently access to the internetrnet is at 65 percent.
He has since hinted that his organisation will be increasing annual funding towards the MUUNI fund from the current K410 Million to reach at least 1 billion kwacha by next year.
In his remarks Minister of Information and Digitalisation Moses Kunkuyu said the launch of the fund is in line with the country’s 2063 Agenda.
The launch of the MUUNI fund is in line with our development aspirations of making the internetrnet accessible to people in the country. It demonstrates the government’s commitment of creating a conducive environment for players in the ICT sector.
He has since urged young people in the country to fully utilise the fund.
Earlier MUUNI Fund team leader Wezzie Salima told delegates that the fund has 3 categories with the first category being Studentsents and Lecturers while the second category is for players in the industry sector with the last category being open to the general Public.
MUUNI Fund is an ICT Research and Innovation Fund established under MACRA aligned with section 6 (2) (g) and section (6) (f) of the Communications Act.
It aims to provide financial aid to individuals across Malawi with eligible research and innovative projects and ideas.
