In Malawi, more than 85% of schools will not have internet access by 2026.
April 22nd 2026
While the Malawian government seeks to digitize its economy and train its youth for the jobs of tomorrow, an official report reveals a massive structural lag in its schools.
Malawi aspires to be a competitive player in Africa’s digital economy. But the figures tell a different story. The School Connectivity Landscape Analysis Report , presented on Friday, April 17th by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, covers 8,939 schools across the country, serving over 6 million students. Of these, 85.8% have no internet access.
This is not an estimate. The mapping is exhaustive and is based on the UNICEF-ITU Giga partnership, a joint initiative of the UN agency and the International Telecommunication Union aimed at connecting all schools in the world by 2030. Each school is referenced with verified GPS coordinates.
One factor further worsens the situation: nearly 47% of establishments lack electricity, making any connection impossible. The two realities are inextricably linked.
What this data reveals about the future of Malawian students
Behind the statistics, an entire generation is being educated without the tools of the world in which they will have to work. In January 2025, only 18% of Malawi’s population used the internet, representing 3.95 million people out of 21.9 million inhabitants, according to DataReportal. Children attending school today without digital access risk increasing this number tomorrow. The ITU reports fewer than one fixed broadband subscription per 100 inhabitants. Information retrieval, word processing, and online communication remain out of reach for the vast majority of students. In a rapidly changing African job market, this deficit becomes a direct barrier to employment.
Malawi’s digital performance remains below the sub-Saharan African average, according to a 2024 analysis published on ResearchGate. The country therefore faces a structural disadvantage, even compared to its immediate neighbors. While some solutions are emerging, their impact remains limited. The BEFIT ( Building Education Foundations through Innovation and Technology ) program, launched in 2023, has brought solar power to 500 schools, reaching 277,000 students, according to the Global Partnership for Education. In September 2025, the Malawi Authority for Africa’s Regulatory Commission (MACRA) launched phase two of the Connect A School project , which plans to provide 120 new computer labs with free internet access for three years.
A World Bank study published in June 2025 nevertheless highlights tangible progress. The Digital Foundations project reduced the wholesale price of internet from $460 per Mbps/month to less than $10 between 2017 and 2024. A real step forward, but one that still benefits little rural areas, where more than 80% of the population lives. There is still a long way to go.
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