By Chisomo Phiri

Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) Director General, Daud Suleman, says MACRA will continue conducting Open Days to enhance interaction with players in the digital and telecommunication sector and consumers, so that they can understand the mandate and laws that govern the authority.

Suleman was speaking on Monday during the Blantyre MACRA Open Day held at Mount Soche Hotel in the commercial city.

“MACRA works within the laws. There are some pieces of legislation that also need a lot of awareness and knowledge.

“MACRA will continue to engage a wide range of stakeholders to sensitize them on a number of Acts, so they can understand better the regulatory authority,”he said.

On his part, Minister of Information and Digitalisation, Moses Kunkuyu, said MACRA’s Open Days are dedicated to players in the digital and telecommunication sector to create an interactive space and share ideas that should contribute to the development of the industry.

The Minister,therefore, said Open Days are crucial as they will help in fostering a vibrant ICT sector to drive Malawi’s socio-economic development.

He encouraged those who patronized the Blantyre Open Day to share with MACRA areas requiring improvement for the sake of effective collaboration in the telecommunication sector.

“In line with Malawi 2063, MACRA is doing a lot in rural areas, such as the introduction of the Connect-A-School Project in various public education institutions,” he said, adding that a number of ICT labs are being constructed in community day secondary schools to promote the use of ICT services and the provision of Wi-Fi internet connectivity.

“Under the Universal Service Fund, MACRA will enhance access to broadband and ICT in public education institutions, and this will eventually address internet connectivity gaps,” he added.

Kunkuyu disclosed that MACRA is also looking forward to another Bill, which, when it becomes a law, will help create a stable legal framework in the digital and telecommunication sector, observing that sanity in the digital and telecommunication sector will only come if there are regulations.

During the event, MACRA and players in the telecommunication sector discussed a number of areas, including courier services in Malawi, Malawi Postal Services’ recent retrenchment and suspension of coach services, updates on the Connect-A-School Project, issues related to the Electronic Transactions and Cyber Security Act, and the Data Protection Act.

MACRA will hold similar Open Days in Lilongwe and Mzuzu cities.