Macra engages people on new address system

Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (Macra) director general Daud Suleman has asked people in Karonga to embrace the National Addressing System (NAS) and not vandalise the project’s materials.

He said this on Wednesday during a full council meeting. He said that the project is expected to roll out this month in the lakeshore district.

“Malawi is implementing NAS which seeks to identify all areas in Malawi using the physical address format. Through this, all districts will have postcodes and all traditional authorities (T/As) in these districts will also have post codes,” said Suleman.

He also said streets and roads in Malawi are supposed to have a name while houses found along the roads or streets will have a number.

Suleman said once implemented, NAS will lay a foundation for a number of socio-economic opportunities in the digital world.

In his presentation, Macra deputy director of postal services Burnet Namacha said through the 2016 Communications Act Section 124, the authority is mandated to allocate, manage and regulate addresses and postcodes by among others naming streets, roads, houses and big buildings and mapping for easy identification.

However, he bemoaned vandalism, saying it is a setback to the project’s time-frame.

Karonga District Council chairperson Isaac Kalambo said the council will technically and actively participate in the project.

Paramount Chief Kyungu of Chitipa and Karonga assured Macra of support to meet the project’s deadline.