Macra queried over IT deal
Pressure is piling on Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (Macra) to stop the procurement of a $1.5 million (about K2.6 billion) machine meant to deal with misinformation and disinformation on digital platforms.
In a letter dated January 17 to Macra board, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR) and Youth and Society (YAS) have queried Macra’s intention to award the contract to Hashcom Ghana Ltd.
The contract is for the supply, delivery, installation, commissioning and testing of an integrated system to track misinformation and disinformation trends in Malawi when the country is facing economic challenges.
The letter, co-signed by CHRR executive director Michael Kaiyatsa and YAS executive director Charles Kajoloweka, states that the CSOs find the decision insensitive.

Reads the letter in part: “It is disheartening to see Macra pursuing a project with debatable value and effectiveness at immense cost. Justifying that such a system is necessary for the upcoming elections on 16th September 2025 fails to account for more cost-effective and rights-respecting alternatives.
“Macra’s procurement of a system that enables mass communication surveillance raises legitimate fears about the potential for abuse. It is imperative to ensure that any measures to address misinformation and disinformation do not come at the cost of fundamental rights and freedoms, namely, the public’s right to privacy, freedom of expression, and access to information.”
Meanwhile, the NGOs have encouraged Macra to work with local universities and ICT experts to utilise their capacities and skills to conduct research to study trends and insights of misinformation and disinformation.
But addressing the media in Lilongwe on Tuesday, Macra director- general Daud Suleman justified the procurement, saying it will help fight fake news and misinformation.
He said the system is not for digital surveillance of private conversations or social media regulation as it is being suggested, but that it will help raise confidence in the digital space.
Said Suleman: “The more people trust the digital space, the more they will participate in digital space. People are participating in digital space by buying bundles and smart devices.
“We are going to see a rise in that. That rise in activity, more data bundles and more smartphones, means more money is going to come to the regulator.”
He said procuring the system is part of the investment for Macra to make profits, saying they will be able to make profits because of such investments.
Suleman said this financial year, Macra projects a profit of K13.5 billion, with projections of making about K20 billion profit in the next financial year.
Meanwhile, digital media expert Jimmy Kainja has cast doubt that the approach taken by Macra will deal with misinformation and disinformation.
He said nowhere in the world has a country dealt with misinformation and disinformation through the use of software or particular technology, adding that dealing with misinformation needs collaborative efforts.
Kainja, who teaches media studies at the University of Malawi, said: “To deal with this problem, if Macra has all that money, Macra should have called civil society organisations, the media and whoever is affected or whoever they think should be responsible to deal with this problem, sit down with them and come up with solutions.
“I don’t think this problem of misinformation has solutions sitting somewhere in Macra, but not across Malawi.”
Earlier this week, Leader of the Opposition in Parliament George Chaponda also called for the immediate suspension of procurement of the system.
He said the procurement process should be halted until Parliament assesses its necessity and alignment with national priorities.