The Reserve Bank of Malawi (RBM) says there is need to start contracting local information and communications technology (ICT) service providers to save foreign exchange.
Speaking on Friday in Lilongwe at the ICT Association of Malawi (Ictam) 2025 Expo, RBM Governor Macdonald Mafuta-Mwale acknowledged that most government ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) are still importing most of their digital solutions.
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He said: “Most of the software that government systems are using now are from outside [the country]. But if our colleagues are able to build these systems then probably there could be some savings.”
Mafuta-Mwale said embracing home-grown digital services could ensure that more ICT solutions are affordable.
In his remarks, Ictam general manager Andrew Kamwendo decried lack of trust from MDAs that mostly import digital products while local players have similar capabilities.
“It is worrisome to say that at this age Malawi is still importing digital services from other countries because within the country, we have Malawians who can develop the systems being imported elsewhere,” he said.
National Bank of Malawi plc head of digital financial services William Kaunda in an interview said unlike in the past when they were importing all the digital solutions, they are now accessing a good percentage locally.
He said electricity supply is one of the challenges affecting the ICT sector, adding that intermittent power supply makes data transmission impossible.
The two-day ICT Expo was held under the theme: Accelerating Malawi’s digital economy with innovation and inclusion’.
