Digital Malawi Program Phase I: Malawi Digital Foundations Project

Summary

The project assisted the Malawi Communications Regulatory in strengthening its own capacity to develop and oversee the regulatory and legislative enabling environment for digital public services, in line with the country’s National Cybersecurity Strategy.

Details

Aim

The aim of the cybersecurity capacity building activities within the Digital Malawi Program Phase I: Malawi Digital Foundations Project (P160533) is to assist Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority in strengthening their own capacities and the enabling environment, especially legislation and regulation, for improved digital public services.

Context

The development objective of the Digital Malawi Program Phase I: Malawi Digital Foundations Project (P160533) is to increase access to affordable, high quality Internet services for government, businesses, and citizens and to improve the Government’s capacity to deliver digital public services. It will achieve this by targeting three core enablers:

• Digital Ecosystem: strengthening the laws, regulations, and institutional and human capacity needed to promote ICT infrastructure investment, market competitiveness, digital engagement, job creation, and innovation;
• Digital Connectivity: promoting affordable, high quality Internet access for all citizens by incentivizing private sector network infrastructure development and service provision nationwide; and
• Digital Platforms and Services: building the technical capacity, institutions, and IT infrastructure for the Government to deliver services to citizens and conduct its own business digitally.

Activities

Under Component 1, subcomponent 1.1 – ICT Regulation, Strategy, and Policy Development – the project supported the Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) to develop the strategies, regulations, guidelines, and data collection and analysis tools needed to implement the Communications and E‐Transactions and Cybersecurity Acts of 2016 and to manage new mandates and policy objectives effectively.

Under subcomponent 1.2 – Regulatory and Policy Implementation, Capacity Building, and Institutional Development – the project supported MACRA and the wider government leadership through development of the skills and capacity necessary to carry out effective regulation and policy formation. This included support to (a) an institutional and capacity review and restructuring of MACRA; (b) implementation of the new Acts and associated regulations and strategies; and (c) implementation of a comprehensive capacity‐building program for MACRA staff and wider government leadership, in line with the recommendations of the institutional and capacity review and forthcoming National Cybersecurity Strategy.

WEBSITES:

Main website link:

https://projects.worldbank.org/en/projects-operations/project-detail/P160533