MINISTER CALLS FOR GERMAN INVESTMENT IN ICT – Malawi News.

Addressing the first Germany-Africa ICT Forum in Berlin, Germany, Minister of Information, Civic Education and Communications Technology Mark Botomani called for German firms to invest in information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure in Malawi.

Botomani said the Malawi Government considers ICT as a critical catalyst for various sectors to spur economic growth, adding that ICT is among the five priority areas in the Malawi Growth and Development Strategy (MGDS III).

On the other hand, Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (Macra) says it will soon enforce laws restricting the importation of substandard information communication and technology (ICT) gadgets to protect consumers from unfair trade deals.

Macra acting director of legal services Dan Chiwoni said  Malawians are among many African States that are still using substandard ICT gadgets and that many gadgets currently in use in the country are not certified both locally and internationally as they are substandard or counterfeit products.

Malawi is currently using the Fourth Generation (4G) technology which requires high-quality ICT devices in the communications set-up. Chiwoni said: “The surge in the technological advancement has also come with challenges, one of them being the production of substandard and counterfeit telecommunication equipment and gadgets.