Malawi to benefit from World Bank program

The Malawi Privatisation Commission has said the project, which aims at improving the quality and reducing the cost of telephone and internet communications between the continent and the rest of the world, will benefit 25 African countries.

The commission said the RCIP is expected to contribute to the availability of low cost broadband communications in Malawi through providing high-speed communications access to the east coast of Africa where the international submarine fibre-optic cables are expected to land during 2009 - 2010.

“The program will also provide support to the government in accessing information communication and technology services for public institutions and technical assistance to support the development of the sector as a whole,” says a statement from the commission.

In Malawi the RCIP project will have three components that will cost the World Bank over US$18bn, but the major component of the project to cost more is the connectivity to link Malawi with coastal landing stations of the submarine cables which are due to be completed by 2010.

According to the Privatisation Commission, the project is to be implemented through a public-private partnership in which the government, in its position as major purchaser of ICT services, will purchase capacity thereby reducing the commercial risk to investors in fibre optic cable operators.

The commission says any infrastructure developed under this project will be owned and operated by the private sector as part of competitive markets under the regulatory oversight of the existing sector institutions.

“By retaining the option to connect through either Mozambique or Tanzania, the project supports a competitive tendering process for the provision of services and will promote competition between cables and between landing stations,” says the commission.