ICT: A Necessity in Rural Areas?

"Indeed, imagine how beautiful it could appear if almost all the farmers in the rural areas [of Malawi] had access to ICT. Every farmer glued to the computer, searching for markets. But is it practical? Is ICT what the local masses are looking for? Are the rural masses ready to consume ICT products?"

Using those questions as a launching point, this brief article clarifies what the current information and communication technology (ICT) priorities are in Malawi's rural areas. Published in Malawi's Nation Online, it is also meant to serve as a "reality check" for those promoting high-tech solutions such as computers and the internet.

According to author Taonga Sabola, Malawi ranked 93 out of 104 countries in the World Economic Forum (WEF)'s Networked Readiness Index of 2004, which measures a country's likelihood to leverage the opportunity offered by ICT for development and competitiveness. Malawi's ranking may be explained by the fact that, even in major cities of Blantyre, Lilongwe and Mzuzu, "there are still a lot of people who have never used the computer", especially in the government departments. Reportedly, there is only one working computer in the whole regional office of the Malawi News Agency (Mana), "a critical department of the Ministry of Information." The situation in the educational sector is not much different: "the vast majority of Malawi school children have not been exposed to the computer technology in any shape or form...[T]here is currently few to no specific government incentives to promote and encourage ICT based education and basic computer training in Malawian schools. There is no specific IT awareness promotion programme in the schools either."

Reflecting on these trends, ICT consultant Chatonda Mhango stresses that ICT is, in the words of the article's author, "not what the rural masses need. He notes that giving ICT to the rural masses at this time will be like donating a television screen to a blind person." Mhango urges that the government work to create awareness among rural dwellers about ICT tools in order to foster an understanding of and appreciation for their potential. Even prior to developing such strategies for introducing computers to rural areas, he suggests, the government should install telephone booths in rural areas, "as it is the only gadget they are conversant with because it is not very technical." As author Taonga Sabola suggests, mobile phones, too, are able to "do the magic" because even illiterate people are able to use them.

Sabola concludes that Malawi faces a number of infrastructure, human and financial resource constraints to the development of its ICT sector; there is currently no specific government policy designed for promoting the growth of the ICT industry and service sector.