Stakeholders in the ICT sector have cited lack of infrastructure and improved digital platforms as factors affecting the quality of education and research in the country.
The remarks have been made as four companies have been awarded contracts to provide state of the art internet facilities in seven colleges under the University of Malawi and Mzuzu University.
Audrey Mwala, Acting Chief Executive Officer for Public Private Partnership Commission challenged the companies tasked to perform this job to ensure that they offer quality services so that the quality of education is improved.
On his part, Ernest Kantchentche, Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Information said the four companies have been served with a critical role to uplift the quality of e-services.
According to Kantchentche, the country’s education sector needs such initiatives to meet regional and global standards.
At the ceremony, Open Connect Limited (OCL) was awarded a contract to provide National Connectivity to institutions of higher learning, while CMC Technologies, CompuTech
Business Services Limited and Computer Automation was awarded for Campus Wi-Fi under Malawi Research Education Network (MAREN) program.
This is an initiative through the Digital Malawi Project, with financing from the International Development Association of the World Bank, whose aim include promoting broadband
deployment, increasing broadband adoption and usage as well as ensure, availability of broadband services at affordable prices.
This initiative extends to MAREN whose mandate is to provide affordable connectivity to all public and private universities in Malawi.
