The ceremony was held at Mount Soche Hotel in Blantyre, on 23rd January, 2020 where delegates from PPPC, MAREN, UbuntuNet Alliance and all public universities who are the main beneficiaries were present.

Speaking before the signing ceremony, the PPPC Acting Chief Executive Officer Audrey Mwala explained that the aim of this signing is to improve access to critical ICT infrastructure for both public and the private sector.

“It also aims at improving the governance of the ICT, giving access to services of ICT in government and to facilitate provision of e-services since most companies are moving towards digital,” she highlighted.

The MAREN CEO Solomon Dindi explained that this signing is important because it will enable public universities acquire internet services at an affordable price which is also beneficial in higher learning especially to university students.

The activity is funded by the World Bank through the Digital Malawi Project.

Under the contract, UbuntuNet Alliance will make available 1200 Mbps to MAREN in Blantyre for a period of 10 years. The capacity will be provided through a newly procured link between Blantyre and Maputo. 

Polytechnic as one of the beneficiaries will also have the chance to get internet at a cheaper price which might enable the students and staff members have unlimited internet connectivity.

Speaking on behalf of Universities, Professor Kanyama Phiri  said that it is a pride to universities because they are the primary beneficiaries of this project.

He further said that with the introduction of open and distance learning, the use of the internet through e-learning is very crucial, so he appreciated this initiative which will help solve ICT problems.

Other delegates who spoke were UbuntuNet CEO Dr Mathews Mtumbuka and the representative of the Principal Secretary of the Ministry of Information, Francis Bisika