WB funds Malawi communications project

The World Bank's board of executive directors has approved an International Development Association (IDA) credit of US$20 million for Malawi under the Regional Communications Infrastructure Program (RCIP).

Malawi's Privatisation Commission (PC) has been designated as the project implementation unit for the program. And according to a statement from the commission the overall objective of the project is to improve the quality, availability and affordability of broadband within Malawi for both public and private users.

“This will be done by using the government's power as a purchaser of international connectivity to stimulate the development of intra-regional connectivity, thereby ensuring that Malawi has access to the submarine cables which are due to land along the East coast of Africa,” reads the statement in part.

It further says the project, which will be implemented through a public-private partnership model, will link Malawi to the world by fibre-optic cable through underwater wires in the Indian Ocean to be accessed through the east coast in Tanzania.

Malawi has placed a high priority on developing the ICT sector in the country in its development blueprint called Malawi Growth and Development Strategy.

The project will also seek to reduce prices of service to make them affordable to more people through competition and cost reduction measures.