Tanzania already has agreements for sharing its national fiber optic backbone with neighboring countries. These include Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya and Uganda.
Tanzania will connect Malawi to its National Information and Communications Technology Broadband (NICTBB). This is part of the clauses of a commercial agreement signed between the Tanzania Telecommunications Corporation (TTCL) and the Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi Limited (ESCOM), on Friday, September 8, to strengthen cooperation between the two nations in the field of ICT .
Nape Nnauye, Minister of Information, Communication and Information Technology of Tanzania, said Malawi will be connected through the Kasumulo area on the border between the two countries in Kyela district, in the Mbeya region. The cooperation also includes strengthening technological expertise in Malawi to facilitate ICT investments.
This partnership between Tanzania and Malawi in the field of ICT is the result of the visit of Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan to Malawi last July. She then agreed with her Malawian counterpart Lazarus Chakwera to work together to improve communication and business in various areas.
Moses Kunkuyu Kalongashawa, Malawi’s Minister of Information and Civic Education, said “ the collaboration will help promote investment and business through digital communications reform between Malawi and other African countries .” He added that the development of optical fiber will enable Malawians living in various regions, especially rural areas, to have access to communication.
According to the latest statistics from data platform DataReportal, the country had 11.81 million mobile phone service subscriptions at the start of 2023, equivalent to 57.2% of the total population. At the same period, the number of Internet users recorded in the country was 5.04 million, representing a penetration rate of 24.4%.
Source: Agence Ecofin