The Digital Malawi Project (DIGMAP) continues to create job opportunities and provide free internet connectivity services to Malawians in the country through the Public Institutions Connectivity Initiative.
The Project Manager for Bengol.Net Limited, Dixon Daelo, revealed this on Friday in Blantyre when the Secretary for Information and Digitalization, Baldwin Chiyamwaka visited the National Library, a beneficiary of the Initiative.
The Public Institutions Connectivity Initiative aims to provide reliable internet connectivity through high-speed optic fiber cables to 530 public sites over the next 9 years under a Public Private Partnership Arrangement.
Daelo said that Bengol.Net Limited, one of the contractors, has created over 400 job opportunities for Malawians across the 18 districts.
“As Bengol.Net Limited, we have recruited over 400 members of staff from 18 different districts where we are connecting 329 public institutions,” he said.
In his remarks, Chiyamwaka attributed the significant job creation to the government’s commitment to improving the living standards of Malawians.
He explained that internet connectivity is segmented into three networks: BOMA for all civil servants, NZIKA for all users, and GUEST for all visitors.
“We are providing a network called NZIKA domain, which allows all users to access online government services. The BOMA Network, for the staff in the library, allows them to access free internet, the new government email system, and other applications. This will enhance government service delivery to its employees and citizens in general,” Chiyamwaka elaborated.
Chiyamwaka further expressed the Ministry’s satisfaction with the DIGAMP’s progress.
He stated: “As a ministry responsible for digitalization, we are happy that through this DIGMAP, we have been able to give access to the internet to different public institutions including libraries.”
Martha Gada, a librarian at the National Library, expressed gratitude to the government for the internet facility at the institution, noting that it has boosted their service delivery and increased their user base.
So far, DIGMAP has connected 500 public sites of the targeted 530, all of which are operational.
