Principal Secretary for the Department of e-Government in the Ministry of Information and Digitalization, Stephen Mjuweni, has hailed the Digital Malawi Project (DIGMAP), for its significant role in laying a robust digital foundation in Malawi.
DIGMAP, which preceded the Digital Malawi Acceleration Project (DMAP), was implemented by the Ministry in collaboration with the Public Private Partnership Commission (PPPC) with funding from the World Bank.
Speaking yesterday on the sidelines of the Commercial Transaction Manual (CTM) – Models Stakeholder Consultation Meeting in Blantyre, Mjuweni said DIGMAP left its footprints in Malawi’s digital landscape by advancing digital infrastructure, institutional reforms, e-government services, and digital skills development.
“Under DIGMAP, we made tremendous strides that the new project, DMAP, is now building upon, such as providing internet connectivity to 530 public institutions across the country, including public schools and hospitals.
Additionally, we built a new National Data Centre in Lilongwe to host all government systems under one roof, eliminating challenges associated with managing an array of siloed systems,” he said.
In a separate interview, Patrick Kabambe, PPPC Chief Executive Officer, echoed Mjuweni’s sentiments, emphasizing that DIGMAP also supported the Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets Authority (PPDA) through financing the electronic public procurement system, commonly known as the Malawi National Electronic System.
“Most issues of fraud and corruption tend to revolve around public procurement. Through automation, the system enables the government to track every transaction, thereby helping to curb procurement-related fraud and corruption,” said Kabambe.
Beyond digital infrastructure, DIGMAP also equipped over 19,000 youths, women, and the elderly with digital skills, and supported the drafting and enactment of the Data Protection (DP) Act, which was originally developed as the DP Bill.
The project further provided financial support and bandwidth to the Malawi Research and Education Network (MAREN) to enhance its service delivery to higher learning and research institutions nationwide.
