By Bishop Witmos and Ralph Charles Chinomba
First Vice President, Dr. Jane Ansah has expressed governments commitment in supporting the Information, Communication Technology (ICT) initiatives to ensure that no one is left behind in the digital era.
The Vice President made the remarks Tuesday night during a welcome dinner hosted by the ICT Association of Malawi (ICTAM) as part of its annual general conference and innovations awards at Sunbird Nkopola in Mangochi.
Ansah said Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a critical enabler for the sustainable development of Malawi, adding that AI is capable of responding to various industrial challenges in agriculture, health, and education sectors.
“Our government recognises the ICT sector as an important pillar that can help drive Malawi’s digital economy. We ensured this by incorporating ICT inclusions in the manifesto with an understanding that it can transform Malawi and improve public service delivery. As such, Malawians need to embrace it,” Ansah added.She further challenged players in the ICT sector to abide by high standards of professionalism, integrity, and ethics, stating that these are fundamental to ensuring a safe digital future for Malawi.
In his remarks, President of ICTAM, Clarence Gama, commended the government for recognising the significance of the ICT sector, saying the sector has the potential to transform the socio-economic development of Malawi through various digital interventions, both in the public and private sectors.
Gama highlighted that ICTAM envisions mandatory empowerment of local companies, building trust between investors and local companies, and promoting digital inclusion for youth and women to ensure broad access to technology, all of which can be achieved through government support.
“Despite having private sector and development partners, we recognise the governments support, which is structured around its policies and will help the ICT sector grow,”he added.The UNDP Country Representative, Fenella Frost, hailed the Vice President for her efforts in promoting digital inclusion, particularly among the youth and women. She assured UNDPs commitment to supporting Malawi through initiatives focused on digital governance, infrastructure, and skills development to ensure that technology reaches rural and marginalised communities.
The ICTAM AGM, held under the theme: Artificial Intelligence for Sustainable Development: Advancing Malawi’s Digital Future, runs from November 19 to November 22. ICT professionals, innovators, and investors are meeting to learn and discuss ICT opportunities and challenges surrounding the industry.
