The current Act, which was enacted in 1998, has several shortfalls and fails to address innovations and products that have sprouted recently such as the internet.
 
Speaking at a Communications Act review workshop in Mangochi, Southern Malawi, MACRA’s Director General Charles Nsaliwa said the regulatory body was doing everything possible to ensure that the country’s penetration rates of Information Communications Technology (ICT) was on the rise.
 
“Every ten percent achieved in ICT penetration contributes to one percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) increase. Therefore as MACRA, we will ensure that ICT penetration is increased through… telephone, mobile phone and internet service across the country with the aim of contributing to GDP growth,” he said.
 
Speaking at the same workshop, the guest of honor Leckford Thotho, who is also the country’s Minister of Information and Civic Education, said the revised Communications Act aims at bringing aboard new ICT products and services that came into operation after the current Act was enacted in 1998.
 
“We believe the review of the Communications Act will realize government’s vision of converting Malawi into an ICT nation,” he said.
 
The review of the Act comes after years of efforts by media managers and other commentators for the Act to be reviewed arguing that several clauses are not media friendly.
 
Enacted in November 1998, the Act provides for, among others, regulation and provision of services in the communications sector comprising telecommunications, posts and broadcasting; the establishment of an independent regulatory authority, the Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) and the restructuring of the Malawi Posts and Telecommunications Corporation (MPTC) into separate telecommunications and postal business.
 
Among other contentious issues in the Act include definitions of a public broadcaster. Commentators in the country, including leaders of various political parties, have raised concern over monopoly by the ruling party of the state-owned Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) radio and television. The commentators are campaigning to have the state broadcasters turned into public broadcasters. //End//

Reagan Malumo
Programme Specialist: Media Freedom Monitoring and Research
Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Regional Secretariat
21 Johann Albrecht St
Private Bag 13386
Windhoek
Namibia
Phone: +264 61 232 975
Fax: +264 61 248 016
Mobile: +264 81 311 2626

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