 is facilitating the formation of community broadband cooperatives in Malawi){kind=link}
Malawi: The Universal Service Fund (USF) is facilitating the formation of community broadband cooperatives in Malawi. The initiative is being taken following the National ICT and Digitalization Policy of the government.
Through the community broadband cooperatives, the government of Malawi wants to enhance the accessibility of internet services in the country. The officials have shared that they are dedicated to providing better facilities.
The cooperatives will be established under a model termed Yathu Yathu Data. The Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority – MACRA has shared the update regarding the initiative.
They clarified that the Yathu Yathu Data is an initiative to be run by indegenous independent operators throughout the country. The officials have shared that they are dedicated to providing better facilities to the communities.
These local operators who are participating in the programme were selected through a rigorous bidding process. So far USF, has embarked on training of the successful community broadband operators on how the initiative will work and the technology to be used.
USF is a digital inclusion implementation arm of the Malawi Government through the Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA).
The officials have shared that they are happy to be part of the developmental initiative which will offer better standard of living for the people of Zambia. The stakeholders of the community broadband cooperatives initiative have arranged some training works.
The director general of MACRA delivered a brief address on the opening of a training workshop for the operators Mangochi. He said the initiative will allow the local and indigenous population of Malawi into the the telecommunications sector.
“Currently, USF is training eight cooperatives through various workshops and training initiatives. They stated that after the training, the stakeholders will roll out into the market. This initiative will also create employment for a lot of Malawians from rural areas where Yathu Yathu Data will be operating,” said Suleman.
According to the government of Malawi, The cooperatives under the Yathu Yathu Data are receiving financial support through USF with National Economic Empowerment Fund (NEEF) providing the disbursement support of the funding.