Macra wants ICT issues publicised

The communications sector watchdog, the Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (Macra), is geared to have issues of information and communication technologies (ICTs) well publicised to bridge the digital divide.

Macra, to this effect, has formed a media task force comprising journalists from different media houses in the country, the regulatory body is set to work with in advancing and publicising of ICT issues.

Macra organised a three-day workshop for the selected journalists which took place in Mulanje from Wednesday last week to Friday aimed at imparting knowledge to the task force team on ICT issues.

The regulatory body’s director general Charles Nsaliwa, who opened the workshop on Wednesday, said there are a lot of issues in ICT that go unreported, citing the amendment of the Communication Act to embrace new technologies, among others.

Nsaliwa said ICT services are not only meant for people in the urban areas, but also those living in the rural areas, emphasising the need to bridge the digital divide.

Macra, which was established by an Act of Parliament in 1998 to regulate the provision of services for broadcasting, telecommunications and postal and management of frequency spectrum in the country, brought different presenters with different topics at the workshop.

Director of Finance and Administration, Ben Chitsonga, in his presentation, said the body’s main source of funds, at 60 percent, is  the levy it receives from operators, charged at five percent of the sales the operators make,
which include mobile companies. n