from MAVHUTO BANDA in Lilongwe, Malawi
Malawi Bureau
LILONGWE, (CAJ News) – PRINCIPAL Secretaries in Malawi’s cabinet ministries have undergone high-level training on artificial intelligence (AI) to ensure a unified and seamless approach to digital transformation across government institutions.
The government officials have been equipped with a training programme made possible by financial and technical support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), through the Inclusive Digital Transformation for Malawi (IDT4M) Project, and the World Bank, through the Digital Malawi Acceleration Project (DMAP).
The one-day exercise completed on Wednesday in Salima, in the Central region.
Dr Justin Saidi, Chief Secretary to the Government, said the training was in response to the directive by President Peter Mutharika to all ministries, departments and government agencies to accelerate the digitalisation of public services.
The president gave the directive in mid-February in his State of the Nation Address in Parliament.
“Our gathering today, is, therefore, both timely and purposeful. It is a demonstration of our readiness to act swiftly and cohesively in implementing the Presidential directive,” Saidi said.
“It also signals our collective commitment to embedding digital technologies across the public sector as a catalyst for efficiency, transparency, accountability and improved service delivery to the people we serve.”
Prosper Mopiwa, Principal Secretary for E-Government, said the training presented an unprecedented opportunity in enhancing service delivery, strengthening policy analysis and improving fraud detection.
He however advocated for ethical use of AI within the public service.
“AI must be adopted responsibly and anchored in sound governance frameworks, ethical safeguards, data protection standards and strong institutional coordination,” Mopiwa stated.
Malawi implemented DMAP and IDT4M in 2024.
Consistently ranked as one of the world’s poorest countries, Malawi has over the years battled poor service delivery and corruption by successive governments.
– CAJ News