Malawi launches Internet Governance Forum

The Government of Malawi, in collaboration with the New Partnership for Development (Nepad), has initiated the Malawi Internet Governance Forum (Malawi IGF) to optimize and coordinate internet services throughout the region.

Speaking at the inauguration, Dr. Edmund Katiti, the director of Nepad’s e-Africa Programme, expressed his optimism for the global internet economy potential of Malawi.

“The launch of Malawi’s Internet Governance Forum spells a promising future,” said Katiti.

Dr. Katiti revealed that while there have been continuous efforts to network with other nations, Malawi, indeed, is the initial country to kickstart an IGF this year, following South Africa and Tanzania within the SADC region.

Managed under the Office of the President and Cabinet, E-Government in Malawi is a pivotal service. Olive Chikankheni, E-Government’s Principal Secretary, emphasized the necessity to supervise internet – a vast, global network of private, public, academic, businesses, and government networks – effectively.

The Malawi IGF aims to facilitate discussions on internet-associated policy issues, exchange insights and best practices, and impact the internet’s future through transparent, inclusive, and sustainable means.

Chikankheni anticipates that initiatives like the Malawi IGF will bear fruits by stimulating local and global internet governance, lowering internet charges, augmenting internet usage, enhancing e-government, and contributing to the vision of “An ICT-led Malawi”.

In addition to advocating for ICT-led inclusive and sustainable development, Chikankheni shared that the ICT sector in Malawi has witnessed a growth from contributing 3.5% to the country’s GDP in 2010, to a projected 3.9 percent this year.

The sheer progress supports her vision for the forum’s potential to significantly boost this contribution.

The Malawi IGF Charter details that the National ICT Working Group (NICTWG) will govern forum activities, with the Department of E-Government acting as the secretariat.

A crucial strategic goal of the forum is to forge a multi-stakeholder process guiding the progress of Malawi’s internet economy. Specific objectives include strengthening capacity on internet governance issues, facilitating participation in regional and global internet governance, and formulating the national policy on the internet and ICTs.

Also outlined in the charter is the forum’s mandate to organize main sessions, workshops, and open forums discussions at regional, national, and subject-matter levels.

The forum’s dissolution is also anticipated in the charter, specifying a requirement for a new mandate every 5 years.

Minor enhancements were applied in 2025 for readability.