Malawi: Communications Minister signs $180 million investment partnership with China's Huawei
Ahmed Salem
The government announced MalawiThe Minister of Information and Communications Technology, Dr. Shadrek Namalomba, is currently visiting China to work with Huawei.
The business plan with the Chinese company specializing in the manufacture of mobile phones and technological devices includes a national investment plan in the field of information and communication technology worth US$180 million, based on two main pillars for the next four years.
The two pillars include a comprehensive digital government platform – a unified electronic portal that allows citizens to access all government services, including passports, company registration, and tax payments.
The other pillar is a national ultra-fast communication network linking all 28 provinces, equipped with ring protection technology to ensure uninterrupted service due to any cable cuts.
Cooperation between Malawi and Egypt in the field of agriculture
In a separate context, relations between Egypt and Malawi are witnessing rapprochement in several areas. While Egypt intends to provide the necessary support to Lilongwe in the fields of agriculture and grain storage, the country located in Southeast Africa aims to attract investments in the trade, health, education, mining and agriculture sectors.
Ambassador Rasha Hamdi, Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt to Malawi, hosted the Malawian Minister of Agriculture, where they discussed ways and areas of cooperation between Egypt and Malawi in the field of agriculture and irrigation, especially in the field of drought-resistant grains.
Earlier, Egypt’s ambassador to Malawi, Rasha Hamdi, affirmed Cairo’s commitment to supporting Malawi’s efforts to develop its grain storage capabilities and enhance food security, during a visit she made to the headquarters of the National Food Reserve Authority (NFRA) in the capital, Lilongwe.
Malawi is moving towards renovating its grain storage silos.
The visit came in light of the need to renovate a number of the Authority’s storage silos, as eight silos are suffering from a deterioration in their technical condition, which necessitates carrying out maintenance and modernization work to ensure the efficiency of storage operations and to preserve the strategic stock of grains.
The Egyptian ambassador said that Cairo is keen to expand cooperation with Malawi in the food security sector, through supporting grain storage projects and building the capacities of local personnel, in addition to transferring Egyptian expertise and technology in this field.
She added that cooperation between the two countries aims to enhance the efficiency of food stock management and improve storage systems, which contributes to supporting food stability and addressing the challenges associated with agricultural production.
For his part, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Food Reserve Authority, Bruce Monthally, explained that the visit represents an important opportunity to explore new prospects for cooperation with Egypt, especially in the areas of developing technologies for storing rice, millet and other agricultural crops.
