UNCDF supports the Government of Malawi in Setting Priorities for Inclusive Digital Transformation

On 25 May 2023 the Ministry of Information and Digitalization, in partnership with the UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), presented the first ever Inclusive Digital Economy Scorecard (IDES) for Malawi. Digital processes, products and services are becoming increasingly critical for Malawi’s economic growth and social development. As the country works towards becoming an inclusively wealthy and self-reliant upper middle-income country by 2063, digitization can accelerate the achievement of these goals and the Ministry of Information and Digitalization (MoID) understands that strategic digital transformation is critical to this success.

The Inclusive Digital Economy Scorecard (IDES) is a strategic performance and policy tool that has been developed to support countries in understanding and monitoring the status of their digital transformation, with a focus on ensuring inclusivity.

Based on four pillars;

• Policy and regulation;
• Infrastructure;
• Innovation and;
• Skills,

the IDES facilitates governments in setting the right priorities with stakeholders to foster the development of a digital economy that benefits all. While the tool is global, it requires a locally relevant and pragmatic approach for adoption at country level. In the case of Malawi, the IDES tool has been populated using high-quality local data sources in consultation with a wide group of public and private sector stakeholders.

The IDES Malawi 2021 data-rich report presents Malawi’s digital economy score at 43%, which can serve as a basis to evaluate the level of advancement in their digital economy. It also shows a digital inclusiveness score of 62%, indicating the percentage of the marginalized population participating in the digital economy. Data such as this is critical for strategy development as the government of Malawi furthers its work on the Malawi 2063 10-Year Implementation Plan. With clear data and strategies, the Ministry of Digitalization can actively monitor achievements within the Malawi 2063 10-Year Implementation Plan and ensure the country is on course to develop an inclusive digital economy from which all the people of Malawi can benefit.

Mr. Moses Kunkuyu, Minister of Information and Digitalization, expressed his excitement at the launch of the IDES report, stating that “The first-ever Inclusive Digital Economy Scorecard for Malawi provides us with valuable insights into the state of the digital economy in our country. By identifying gaps and opportunities, we can work together with our partners to strengthen the digital economy in Malawi and ensure that it is inclusive and benefits all segments of the population.”

Mr. Escipión Oliveira Gómez, Assistant Secretary General  at the Organization African Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) mentioned that: “The OACPS is proud to join forces with the EU and UNCDF in contributing towards the Malawi Vision 2063 towards ‘An Inclusively Wealthy and Self Reliant Nation’ with the development of the country’s Inclusive Digital Economy Report and overall assistance that will enable Malawi to put in place new policy measures with a view of, among others, fostering enterprise competitiveness.”

Ms. Iris Kissiti, UNCDF Digital Finance Country Specialist noted that “The presentation of the first Inclusive Digital Economy Scorecard for Malawi is an important milestone towards inclusive economic growth and development in the country. It will provide policymakers and stakeholders with a comprehensive assessment of the inclusiveness of the digital economy in Malawi and guide future actions to close the gaps.”

This IDES launch is the first of several activities the Ministry and UNCDF have planned to support the development of a resilient and inclusive economy. Sustained engagement contributes to the development of Malawi’s digital economy.

• The Malawi IDES report can be accessed here: https://www.uncdf.org/article/8255/ides-report-malawi.
• To learn more about IDES, visit https://ides.uncdf.org/.
• The Malawi IDES report is part of the European Union and Organization African Caribbean and Pacific States supported Digital Financial Services for Resilience Programme: https://www.uncdf.org/dfs4resilience.