The Digital Foundations Project, through its Component III – Digital Platform and Services, funded the design, construction, installation, and commissioning of a National Data Centre at the Department of E-Government premises along Paul Kagame Road in Lilongwe. However, by the close of the project on 31 October 2024, the works were not fully completed, mainly due to logistical challenges in shipping imported construction materials and equipment. The Digital Malawi Acceleration Project (DMAP), under Component I – Affordable Broadband and Secure Data Hosting, has therefore inherited the outstanding works for completion.
The Lilongwe facility serves as the primary site, while the Mandala Data Centre in Blantyre has been designated as the Disaster Recovery (DR) site. The DR site will house identical server equipment as the primary site, enabling seamless data replication to ensure data recovery and business continuity in the event of an outage at the primary site.
To safeguard against environmental and social risks, the Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP) for the National Data Centre has been updated under DMAP. The ESMP aims to address potential impacts during the design, supply, installation, and operation phases of the facility. Its objectives are to:
- Identify and evaluate potential environmental and social impacts during construction, installation of ICT and non-ICT equipment, construction of the powerline, and the operational phase of the Data Centre.
- Recommend preventive, mitigation, and reduction measures for the identified risks and impacts.
- Propose best practices for environmental and social management in the operation of the Data Centre during and beyond the Digital Malawi Project.
