CfDA: Empowering IXPs in Benin, Malawi, Rwanda - ITREALMS

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The Internet Society has joined forces with the Coalition for Digital Africa, an initiative launched by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) at strengthening Internet infrastructure across the continent, reports ITREALMS.

ISOC Director, Advocacy and Communications, Mr. Megan Kruse, said that the ISOC and ICANN partnership on this project under the auspices of the Coalition, is to help empower Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) in the continent, taking on the goal of enhancing five IXPs across Africa to improve Internet access by making it faster and more affordable.

Malawi offers free internet @public facilities - ITREALMS

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The government of Malawi has commenced roll-out of scheme to provide free internet access in all public facilities in the country, under Digital Malawi Programme, reports ITREALMS.

The Deutsche Welle also reported that in the city of Blantyre in southern Malawi, the lack of universal internet access created long-standing issues that could be felt everywhere, including in schools: Accessing teaching and learning materials online was a major struggle for learners at public schools.

Airtel Malawi, UNAID sign MoU on HIV, AIDS app

ITRealms:

Airtel Malawi and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS), have concluded plans to assist people living with HIV and AIDS in the country to access and share information about their medication use via their mobile phones, ITRealms reports.

This is coming after the Malawian telecommunications company signed a Memorandum of Understanding, (MoU) with UNAIDS recently.

Managing Director, Airtel Malawi, Heiko Schlittke, said the telco had made available a toll free number which will be used for information dissemination adding that mobile devices can be used as a tool to assess HIV and AIDS information.

"This mobile phone application will escalate the power of mobile technology in a bid to help reverse the HIV and AIDS crisis in Malawi by reaching out as many infected people as possible," said Schittke.

The UNAIDS country director for Malawi, Amakobe Sande, said the new mobile based platform would assist people affected and infected with the virus to access information about supplies of medication across the country apart from health tips among other things. 

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Digital Switch Over: Malawi under pressure to deliver

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Stakeholders and concerned Malawians have raised concerns over the slow pace at which the company handling digital migration in the country is going about the process, ITRealms reports.

This is even as Malawi's government has stressed urgency in beating the June 2015 digital migration deadline set by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU).

Malawian government, earlier set up a company called the 'Malawi Digital Broadcasting Network' to be responsible for the switchover.

ITRealms  gathered that Malawi's minister of information, Kondwani Nankhumwa, disclosed that while the company has already named a board of directors, the company is still not operational and the board, yet to meet with him.

Also ITRealms  checks indicate that the Malawian government also claims it has put in place all the necessary technical requirements for the switchover but that the uptake of set top boxes (STBs) by Malawians has not been sufficient.

"I will make sure that the company starts work so that it should take over all the activities to do with digital migration so that Malawi meets the deadline on the completion of the process," Nankhumwa said.

Chukwudi Obi
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