By Burnett Munthali
The National Advocacy Platform (NAP) has raised alarm over the worsening collapse of mobile network and internet services across Malawi.
For nearly a year, Malawians have endured erratic connectivity, frequent call drops, unreliable internet access, and data bundles that expire prematurely, often without full usage.
Despite this sustained decline in service quality, tariffs have remained unchanged, forcing consumers to pay high prices for grossly substandard services.
NAP described this situation as “daylight robbery” and a blatant affront to consumer rights.
Repeated calls from citizens, civil society, businesses, and the media for improved service delivery have reportedly been met with silence and inaction from both the regulator and mobile operators.
The ongoing poor performance of mobile services is affecting multiple sectors, choking businesses and undermining productivity.
Access to essential financial, health, and social services has been disrupted, and progress toward Malawi’s digital transformation agenda is being stalled.
Banking services, particularly ATM access and electronic transfers, are increasingly unreliable, interrupting crucial financial transactions for citizens.
Small enterprises, students, professionals, and ordinary users who depend on digital platforms for commerce, communication, and learning are being pushed to the brink.
Digital financial transactions are also becoming chaotic.
Bank-to-Airtel Money transfers are frequently reversed within seconds, while other transfers fail with messages such as “the receiving subscriber has exceeded the transfer limit,” even when the recipient’s account has a zero balance.
There is no accountability for funds deducted but not remitted, and consumers often do not receive refunds for failed transactions.
NAP has called on the Reserve Bank of Malawi (RBM) to urgently audit mobile-linked financial transactions and compel service providers to refund and compensate customers for all failed or reversed transfers.
The Communications Act of 2017 (Act No. 34 of 2016, Chapter 68:01 of the Laws of Malawi) explicitly places legal obligations on both MACRA and mobile operators.
Section 6(d) of the Act directs that one of the objectives is “to facilitate the provision of affordable communication services.”
Section 6(h) mandates “consumer protection” as one of MACRA’s primary responsibilities.
Sections 40(1)(b) and (d) allow licence conditions to require operators to comply with technical and performance standards.
Sections 43(1)(a)–(g) give MACRA the authority to suspend or revoke licences in cases of noncompliance.
NAP argues that the ongoing failure of operators to provide reliable, high-quality services constitutes a clear breach of these licence obligations.
The platform insists that immediate regulatory intervention is essential to protect consumer rights.
NAP is calling on the Government and MACRA to urgently exercise their statutory mandate to safeguard citizens and ensure accountability.
This includes reconstituting the MACRA Board to guarantee strong, independent, and technically competent oversight.
NAP also urges the regulator to conduct an independent quality-of-service audit of all mobile operators.
Publishing performance and compliance reports is another demand, aimed at promoting transparency and consumer accountability.
The organization insists that corrective and punitive measures must be enforced against operators failing to meet minimum standards.
NAP further calls for operators to refund or compensate consumers for data bundles that expire without full utilisation.
In today’s digital era, it is unacceptable that Malawians continue to endure poor network quality while paying some of the highest data costs in the region.
Reliable communication is both a constitutional and economic necessity, anchored in Section 37, which guarantees every person’s right to access information.
Persistent service failures undermine this right and restrict meaningful participation in the economy.
NAP urges the Government and MACRA to act decisively to protect consumers and restore confidence in the communications sector.
Continued inaction, the platform warns, weakens regulatory safeguards designed to shield citizens from unfair business practices.
The organization has called for swift measures to improve service quality, review tariff structures, and ensure fair treatment for all consumers.
NAP also urges MACRA to firmly defend Malawians who have long suffered exploitative and bullying practices from network providers.
“Malawians deserve a regulator that defends their rights and holds service providers fully accountable,” the statement concluded.
The press release was signed by NAP Chairperson Benedicto Kondowe and National Coordinator Baxton Nkhoma.
