Malawi's Public Private Partnership Commission (PPPC), in partnership with the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology, is preparing to invest between US$35 million and US$75 million in the second phase of the digital Malawi Acceleration Project (DMAP).
The project is funded by the World Bank, with total financing of US$150 million. It covers digital connectivity, the Universal Service Fund's 100-tower rollout, the Bomalathu e-services portal and the operationalisation of the National Data Centre in Lilongwe.
The latest phase is expected to connect more than 500 public-sector institutions, including the Ministry of Lands and the National Registration Bureau, as well as more than 2,000 schools.
The plans were discussed during a consultation between the PPPC, government and ICT service providers in Malawi at the Amaryllis Hotel in Blantyre.
Prosper Mopiwa, principal secretary for e-Government in the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology, said collaboration across sectors was necessary because government could not implement DMAP alone.
Mopiwa said connectivity was critical as the government moves to implement its digital transformation agenda across the public sector.
Chimwemwe Matemba, DMAP project manager, said the project was using existing structures during its six-year implementation period.
He said the response from potential bidders and contractors had been strong, with contractors working alongside the World Bank Implementation Support Mission.
“We are doing everything to make sure this project works,” Matemba said. “The school connectivity is the second phase while the whole project is for six years and is worth US$150 million.”
Dickson Daelo, head of projects at Bengol Net, said communities had benefited from the project through connectivity provided to the National Library in Blantyre and Blantyre Free Market.
“As partners, we had a number of learning points which we have seen and have been addressed in the second phase,” Daelo said. “So far, for us, we will take it as a positive development and we are able to rectify.”
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