FOREWORD The development of the Information and Communications Technology Policy is part of the process Malawi, as a nation, has had to go through in her efforts to build a knowledge-based economy and information-rich society. convinced that her economy can rapidly participation in the information society. grow and Malawi is diversify through In order to fully benefit from the information revolution, Malawi needs to modernize various sectors of her economy using Information and Communications Technology (ICT). The ICT Policy, therefore, aims at providing a direction as to how Malawi will turn the ICT potential into real benefits for its people. It also aims at putting into place appropriate institutional, regulatory and legal framework that should effectively support successful deployment and utilization of ICT in all sectors of the economy. The ICT Policy aims at mainstreaming ICT in all sectors of the economy to drive the implementation of the Malawi Growth and Development Strategy (MGDS) II. It is crucial that strong public-private partnerships exist in implementation of this policy. The government will, therefore, continue to provide a conducive environment for both public and private sector participation in the development, deployment and utilization of ICT in both urban and rural communities. I sincerely thank all the people that have been involved in the development of this ICT Policy and ask them to also support its implementation at various levels. Dr. Joyce Banda PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF MALAWI ii