Random Thoughts from Bennett Kankuzi

Link for Department of Mathematics & Statistics at Polytechnic - University of Malawi

2009-08-19T11:49:00.000+02:00

Hereby is the link for website for the Department of Mathematics & Statistics at the Malawi Polytechnic, a constituent college of the University of Malawi:

http://www.poly.ac.mw/faculties/applied_science/maths/

Passing through Chipembere in Blantyre, Malawi

2009-06-17T16:37:00.000+02:00

Photos from Chipembere Highway in Blantyre (Kabula) Malawi as captured on 17th June 2009

Photo credits: Kondwani Kaunda and Bennett Kankuzi.
More photos on Malawi at http://ilovemalawi.blogspot.com

Malawi new cabinet as from 15th June, 2009

2009-06-17T15:59:00.000+02:00

President Bingu wa Mutharika of Malawi has a new cabinet. What is your comment?

1. President Dr. Bingu wa Mutharika
2. Vice President Joyce Banda (Mrs)
3. Agriculture and Food Security Dr. Bingu wa Mutharika
4. Agriculture and Food Security (Deputy) Magret Roka-Mauwa(Ms.)
5. Finance Mr. Ken Kandodo
6. Finance (Deputy) Mr. Fraser Nkhoma Nihora
7. Foreign Affairs Dr. Eta Elizabeth Banda
8. Foreign Affairs (Deputy) Augustine Mtendere
9. Education Dr George Chaponda
10. Higher education, Science and Technology (Deputy) Otilia Moyo-Jere (Ms)
11. Primary Education (Deputy) Victor Sajeni
12. Development Planning and Cooperation Abi Marambika Shawa
13. Development Planning and Cooperation (Deputy) Daniel Liwimbi
14. Transport and Works Khumbo Kachali
15. Transport and Works (Deputy) Lazaro Kasaila
16. Justice Dr. Peter Mutharika
17. Irrigation Ritchie Bizwick Muyewa
18. Irrigation (Deputy) Gringer Musolira Banda
19. Local Government Goodall Gondwe
20. Local Government (Deputy) MacJones Mandala Shawa
21. Industry and Trade Eunice Kazembe (Ms)
22. Industry and Trade (Deputy) Steven Stanford Kamwendo
23. Lands and Housing and Urban development Dr. Peter Mwanza
24. Lands and Housing (Deputy) Tarsiziu Tony Gowelo
25. Gender, Children and Community Development Patricia Kaliati (Ms)
26. Gender, Children and Community Development (Deputy) Catherine Gotani Hara (Ms)
27. Tourism, Wildife Anna Kachikho (Ms)
28. Tourism (Deputy) Shadreck Jonasi
29. Labour Yunus Mussa
30. Labour (Deputy) John Bande
31. Health Moses Chirambo
32. Health (Deputy) Teresa Mwale (Ms)
33. Youth and Sports Lucius Kanyumba
34. Youth (Deputy) Billy Kaunda
35. Health Prof. Moses Chirambo
36. Health (Deputy) Gloria Mwale (Ms)
37. Home Affairs Aaron Sangala
38. Home Affairs (Deputy) Annie Lemani (Ms)
39. National Defence Sidik Mia
40. Information and Civil Education Lenford Mwanza
41. Information and Civil Education (Deputy) Kingsley Namakhwa
42. Natural Resources and Energy Grey Malunga
43. Natural Resources and Energy (Deputy) Ephraim Chiume
44. Disabilities and Aged Bessie Reen Kachere (Ms)
45. Disabilities and Aged (Deputy) Felton Mulli

Of foreign adoptions and the Day of the African Child

2009-06-16T11:13:00.000+02:00

Today, its 16th June, a day in which we celebrate the life of an African child. Originating from remembering the massacres of the innocent children in Soweto, South Africa in 1976, we now reflect on the plight of the African child. Indeed we now reflect on the need of the African child to have access to quality education, health, protection against abuse etc. This is because the future of our beautiful African continent lies in the hands of the African child.

Some kids on Chizumulu Island on Lake Malawi in Malawi!

In this post, I would like to share my thoughts of having western 'celebrities' come to Africa to adopt our orphans and vulnerable children. In particular, I would like to refer to a case in which Madonna has been allowed to adopt another child in Malawi. I do not wish to hide that I am one of the many Malawians who are not happy with this decision.

Imagine if all our orphaned children were put up for foreign adoption, what would become of their destiny and indeed the destiny of Africa at large? Obviously as Africans we have our own culture and traditions that can not just simply be ignored for material prosperity in a foreign adopted home. Much as we appreciate that a child needs material care, we can also not ignore the need to protect the African identity of the child. If at all, one is interested in the welfare of African children, the solution is not to just pick one or two kids out of the many thousands of orphaned children out there! What is wrong with helping the kids while the kids are right here in Africa like what Oprah Winfrey does? This idea of 'fishing out a single kid' out of Africa as what Madonna is doing can simply be rated as 'media charity'.

A question then pops up in my mind! Is it that as Africans we have failed to take care of our African children? Maybe we can say so? How? It is very surprising that these kids being put up for foreign adoption are being found in orphanages. If not mistaken, this orpanage syndrome is a new phenomenon across Africa. Why do I say so? Normally, in an African communalistic setting, one is supposed to take care of relatives children as if they are your own children. So even if a parent dies, the relatives of the deceased are supposed to take care of the children. But what do we see now? Relatives quickly send the orphaned children to orphanages. This is why there are so many children in the orphanages now.

Where has our African Umunthu spirit gone? Is this a sign that African cultural values are being eroded? In addition to this, we should go back to our African traditional values that always insist that those who are mature enough are the ones who should get married and have children who they can manage to take care of. Otherwise, we shall keep on having problems of children who lack parental care.

Facebook in Kiswahili is a great idea!

2009-06-15T15:32:00.000+02:00

Just read on BBC news website that a Kiswahili version of Facebook has been released! Honestly speaking, I am thrilled. Long at last, African languages are also gaining prominence as communication medium in the cyber world. I do not know KiSwahili, but this idea is just great! At least to me... What about you?

To google or to bing?

2009-06-10T12:29:00.000+02:00

Of late, this blog has been getting a lot of hits from Bing, the new search engine or rather "decision" engine from Microsoft. So, having gone to www.bing.com, I encounter a simple and clean interface of a new kid on the block in the search engine arena.

Personally I like the simple interface of Bing. In addition to this, provision of preview of websites listed in the search results is a big plus. I do not know if Bing is faster than Google or whether Bing is just a propped up Windows Live?

However, in my opinion, I think Google will this time around have a serious competitor in the search engine world! So whether to google or to bing thats one's choice. But surely only time will tell, who leads the pack!

Picture of victorious Bingu wa Mutharika and Joyce Banda

2009-05-26T14:22:00.000+02:00

Photo of Bingu wa Mutharika and Joyce Banda during the gruelling 2009 Malawi General Election campaign. Bingu became triumphant with over 65% of the votes cast by a huge turnout of Malawian voters. His party the Democractic Progressive Party (DPP) has more than 114 seats in the 193 seat Malawi Parliament. Congratulations Dr Bingu!

Finally the Malawi Electoral Commission has a website!

2009-05-08T12:19:00.000+02:00

After many people (including myself) complained about the lack of an official Malawi Electoral Commisson website, finally it seems our pleas have been heard. I remember to have written a post:"Why should the Malawi Electoral Commission have a website?".

But now, we can access the Malawi Electoral Commission website at

http://www.mec.org.mw/

Congratulations to the Malawi Electoral Commission for this initiative. Infact I have already verified my voter registration details on the website. Very wonderful indeed!

Contact Details

2009-05-08T11:57:00.001+02:00

Bennett Kankuzi
Lecturer in Computing
University of Malawi (The Polytechnic)
Department of Mathematics & Statistics
P/Bag 303
Blantyre 3
Malawi
Africa

Email: bfkankuzi (at) gmail.com
Mobile phone: +265 884 188 893
Facebook: Bennett Kankuzi
Flickr: bfkankuzi

Bitvise Tunnelier: a faster alternative to Winscp

2009-04-29T17:21:00.003+02:00

I normally like to transfer very big files from my Windows machine to a Linux webserver. In the past I used Winscp and it was painfully slow to transfer even just a 10MB file.

So with a little googling, I found a 'diamond in the rough' by the name Bitvise Tunnelier. Below is a screenshot of one of my file transfers using Bitvise Tunnelier. It was reasonably very fast and the automatic reconnection feature is just one of the many nice features of Bitvise Tunnelier.

You may download it at http://www.bitvise.com/tunnelier

Viva Jacob Zuma!

2009-04-24T16:50:00.003+02:00

So the people of South Africa have spoken! And Jacob Zuma is poised to be the next president of South Africa. With all the media biases, prejudices and bullying against him, he has survived! So my heartfelft congratulations to the ANC and Comrade Jacob Zuma!

A Joomla 1.5 Hack: How to modify properties of category list layout

2009-04-21T17:31:00.004+02:00

For those who are using Joomla 1.5 and they would like to directly manipulate their category list layout. Here is a list of steps to easily do this:

Go to {your joomla root directory}\components\com_content\views\category\tmpl\default_items.php

Modify the code there to your liking!

Madonna is in Malawi but ...

2009-03-30T11:27:00.015+02:00

Its all over that Madonna is in Malawi trying to adopt another baby from Malawi. But wait a minute! If you are in Malawi you will agree with me that her visit to Malawi is not any news right here in Malawi. Ask many people on the streets and villages in Malawi they will tell you that they do not even know that there is a woman known as Madonna currently visiting Malawi to adopt some kid in the country.

I have checked today's daily papers in Malawi - the Daily Times and the Malawi Nation newspaper, they have not even featured any story about Madonna's visit. Listening to different radio stations, it seems none is even reporting about this except MIJ FM radio which featured this story in one of their evening news bulletins yesterday. Surprisingly, MIJ FM radio was also quoting an AFP report.

So please give us a break on Madonna! Instead of trying to show her 'charity' by picking cute babies from Malawi, Madonna should emulate the good example of Oprah Winfrey who built a girls school in South Africa. Otherwise, Madonna's visit is not news to some of us.

I hope many in Malawi would agree with me that the forthcoming general election on 19th May 2009 is the one making news headlines now. This election is important to Malawians as it will determine leaders who shall continue the 'onslaught' against poverty in Malawi as the current government of Dr Bingu wa Mutharika is doing.

So, once again, please give us a break on Madonna and her adoption issues!

Bravo to the Ministry of Local Government in Malawi!

2009-03-19T18:04:00.004+02:00

The Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development in Malawi recently launched their website. The url of the website is http://www.mlgrd.gov.mw/.

I followed the official launch of the website through Zodiak Broadcasting Station, one of the most vibrant private radio stations in Malawi. To the Ministry of Local Government in Malawi, I say keep it up! In fact, other government ministries in Malawi should follow this good example. Nowadays, we can never underestimate the power of posting information on the Web!

Why should the Malawi Electoral Commission have a website?

2009-03-09T09:51:00.005+02:00

Addendum: MEC has now a website at http://www.mec.org.mw/

19th May 2009 is fast approaching. Definitely, this will not be an ordinary day for Malawians. On this day, eligible voters will trek to various polling stations to participate in the fourth multiparty presidential and parliamentary elections. After all the campaigning, contestants shall have to wait on the verdict by voters on this day. As in any race, there will be winners and losers. If there is transparency in the electoral process, losers will honourably accept that maybe that is not their time to win. As the wise man said everything has a season. Time to lose an election and time to win an election.

An elderly woman votes in Malawi (May 2004).
Picture courtesy of VOA News

However, one thing that determines the success of an election is transparency. If an electoral process is transparent, various stakeholders could quickly agree on an outcome of the result. With the counting of votes being crucial, one would expect the announcement of official results to be publicly available through all form of media such as radio, television, newspapers, etc

Of course, some have advocated for the establishment of a parallel tally centre for the forthcoming elections. This issue is quite debatable but one thing that is certain is that people would want that official results be announced to the public as the results will be trickling in from different polling stations. This would enhance the spirit of transparency.

In my opinion, I think that one of the ways through which the Malawi Electoral Commission (Mec) could foster transparency in the electoral process is through the establishment of its own website. Unless I am mistaken, I have not yet come across a website for Mec. A google search for Mec website also yields nothing except website links that talk something about Mec.

A website for Mec will definitely serve as one of the platforms through which Mec would make official general announcements to the public. In addition to this, election results would be posted on the website as the vote counting process would be unfolding. This would give the public real-time updates of the vote-counting process.

We also know that the election would also attract the attention of the international community. In addition to this, we should also not forget Malawians who are living abroad. The electoral process would also be of high interest to them. The Mec website would therefore also help these stakeholders to follow the electoral process in Malawi through an official website of Mec. Otherwise, they will do so through grapevine websites!

Computer Science is different from Information Technology!

2009-02-27T16:36:00.003+02:00

I am a computer scientist by profession. However, one thing that surprises me is the fact that many people (only here in Malawi?) fail to distinguish computer science from the so called "information technology". So I googled on this and following are some of the results:

Computer Science, Computing, Computer Studies, ICT and Information Technology – are they all the same thing?

There is unfortunately a lot of confusion over these terms in the general population and in schools, and people who should know better use them as if they were interchangeable. Computer Science is the study of information and computation. The other terms are more vocational and mostly describe training courses in how to use particular pieces of software. Think of it this way: someone with an ICT qualification will know how to use a program like Word. Someone with a Computer Science qualification will know how to create a program like Word, and will also know how to make it easier to use, how to make it work on a variety of machines, how to make it easy to add additional functionality, how to fix bugs in it, how to make it communicate with other pieces of hardware or software, how to market it and how to deal with any legal or copyright problems with it. They will understand the theoretical basis underlying the program. They will also know how to do a million other things besides. Not just now, but throughout their working career.

Source: University of Cambridge Computer Laboratory

From a very broad perspective, Computer Science is the study of the principles of computing. It helps you better understand how computers solve problems, the kinds of problems that a computer can solve and how one would present a problem to a computer. Abstract ideas that rely on fundamental mathematical theories are at the heart of Computer Science. Information Technology is the study of technology that drives Information Systems for businesses. Understanding how technology/tools can best meet the Information management needs of an organization is at the heart of IT. Familiarity with such tools is an essential for a successful IT professional. The interesting relation between the 2 fields lies in the fact that more often than not, it is Computer Scientists that design and develop these tools that an IT professional uses. Personally, I think that an adaptable Computer Scientist should not find it difficult to migrate to the field of IT (if he/she chooses to do so) by learning more about the technology that is predominately used at his/her organization. An IT professional on the other hand, will have to go through mathematics/CS training in order to be a good computer scientist. In a nutshell, Computer Science is about understanding generic concepts,whereas IT is about knowing more facts.

Source: WikiAnswers

For more on what computer science is, check on Wikipedia

Finally we have fuel price cuts in Malawi...

2009-02-02T12:27:00.007+02:00

I can't contain my joy that finally the government of Malawi has reduced fuel (gas) prices effective 1st February, 2009. While the rest of the world was enjoying fuel price cuts on the world market, Malawians were still being pinned to the wall!

The new fuel prices charged per litre are as follows: Petrol charges have been cut from MK251.20 (US$1.75) to MK213.50 (US$1.50), diesel was at MK234.50 (US$1.65) and is now at MK199.30 (US$1.40), while kerosene (or paraffin) was at MK165.30 (US$1.16) and is now selling for MK132.20 (US$0.93).

On a personal note, I use an automatic transmission car (a Toyota Ipsum Picnic) and I must say that somehow it consumes more fuel than my previous manual Mitsubishi RVR sports gear. I do not know if there is any scientific evidence that automatics consume more fuel in comparison to manuals. But my instincts are indicating that automatics may be fuel guzzlers!

In general, as Malawians we also expect a reduction in costs of transport, food etc. This is because in Malawi increase in fuel prices automatically trigger a corresponding increase in prices of essential goods and services. Moreover, as consumers in Malawi we have a right to demand a corresponding decrease in prices of goods and services this time around. That is if our businessmen, especially minibus owners, are honest enough!

Finally bravo to all civil society organizations in Malawi for fighting tooth and nail for the common Malawian to have this fuel price cut!

Short Course on Advanced Computer Skills for Scientists in Malawi

2009-01-28T12:41:00.002+02:00

I thought I should share the following information with fellow scientists in Malawi:

The Department of Mathematics & Statistics at Malawi Polytechnic, a constituent college of the University of Malawi is pleased to announce a short course under the theme "Advanced Computer Skills for Scientists in Malawi". The course has been designed to equip Malawian scientists with necessary skills in this modern world of computer technology. The course runs for five days from 23rd February 2009 to 27th February, 2009.

Some of the content for the course include:

Scientific information in the Digital Age
An African scientist in a dynamic scientific world
Scientific document preparation using LaTex and BibTex tools
Advanced internet search skills for scientific research work
Utilizing digital libraries for scientific research work
Collaborative networking techniques with fellow scientists around the world
Scientific Talk presentation: Microsoft PowerPoint vs. the Latex Beamer class
Using weblogs to disseminate scientific information and improve scientist profile
An overview of scientific computer packages

Course fees: MK40000.00 including lunch and snacks. However the fee does not include accommodation.

For more information email maths (at) poly.ac.mw or phone 04188893/09771807/08747059

Announcing a Secondary School Mathematics Software Package for Malawi ...

2009-01-26T10:21:00.004+02:00

Alinune Musopole, an undergraduate student in the Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematical Sciences Education programme at the Malawi Polytechnic, a constituent college of the University of Malawi, has developed a mathematics software package for secondary schools in Malawi as his final year project. As with the localized word processor project by Edmond Kachale, I also share with you esteemed blog readers a synopsis of this project. Also watch out this blog for more featured projects!

Project Title: A Secondary School Mathematics Software Package for Malawi
Project Author: Alinune Musopole (nune_musopole (at) yahoo.co.uk)
Project Supervisor: Bennett Kankuzi (bfkankuzi (at) gmail.com)
Project Location: Dept of Mathematics & Statistics, Polytechnic, University of Malawi

Abstract:

There are many challenges that secondary school students in Malawi are facing in the learning of Mathematics in Malawi. Examples of these problems are lack of confidence, lack of practice and lack of motivation by students.

One of the ways through which problems faced by secondary school students in the learning of Mathematics can be alleviated is the use of the computer. Computer software, particularly Mathematics software packages, can help reduce problems faced by students in the learning of Mathematics in Malawi as practicing tools, hence we developed a software package that shall be used by secondary school students in the practicing of Mathematics. The software package is based on the Malawi Senior Secondary School Mathematics curriculum and the package is called a Computer Package for Secondary School Mathematics (CPSSM) for Malawi.

The algorithms and user interface for the program have been implemented using a Turbo C++ compiler and the Object Windows Library (OWL).

*****
An executable of the project can be requested via the given emails. Full LaTex and pdf reports of the project can also be requested via the same.
*****

Undergrad student in Malawi develops a localized lightweight word processor

2009-01-13T12:33:00.004+02:00

One of my undergraduate students in the Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematical Sciences Education programme at the Malawi Polytechnic, a constituent college of the University of Malawi, has developed a localized lightweight word processor in his final year project. I share with you esteemed blog readers a synopsis of this project. Also watch out this blog for more featured projects!

Project Title: Design and Implementation of a Localised Text Editor for a Bantu Language in Malawi
Project Author: Edmond C. Kachale (kachaleedmond (at) gmail.com)
Project Supervisor: Bennett Kankuzi (bfkankuzi (at) gmail.com)
Project Location: Dept of Mathematics & Statistics, Polytechnic, University of Malawi

Abstract:

In this age, access to information is a basic human right and Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) provide convenient access to reliable and up-to-date information for decision making. However, most people in Africa fail to access most ICT tools due to language barriers as interfaces in most ICT tools use languages that are of western origin.

Currently, people who want to use computers must first learn some official language which often happens to be western. This blocks access to ICTs, especially for the rural poor who do not have equal access to education in African countries where literacy rates are also very low. This puts the African communities on worse socio-economic status that is accelerated by the digital divide, since the people fail to contribute towards the development of their communities and respective nations. In order to remove this language barrier, software localization has become one of the best alternatives to make ICTs appropriate to a target locale. Localisation of software involves adapting a software product to the linguistic, cultural and technical requirements of a target population.

This project focusses on designing and implementing of a localised text editor for Chichewa (Chinyanja), a Bantu language spoken in Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and other countries in southern Africa. We implement the algorithms and the interface for the text editor using a Microsoft Visual C++ compiler and the Windows Template Library (WTL).

*****
An executable of the project can be requested via the given emails. Full LaTex and pdf reports of the project can also be requested via the same.
*****

Software testing services in Malawi

2008-12-22T11:38:00.003+02:00

Are you an individual or an organization in Malawi?

Has someone developed a software system for your organization or business?

If the answer is YES! Then we have very good news for you. We are pleased to inform you that we can professionally test your software system to check if it conforms to software engineering standards. In particular, we will test if the software meets your business requirements. And of course, we will also test its usability, its reliability and other software engineering parameters...

Be it database systems, web-based applications, accounting information systems, health information systems, statistical software systems, e-learning systems, etc.......

We are based right in the heart of Blantyre in southern Malawi. Call us on 04188893 or drop us an email at bfkankuzi (at) gmail.com

Different page formats in Microsoft Word 2007

2008-12-19T13:20:00.004+02:00

I normally use LaTex in preparation of my documents. I don't use Microsoft Word because it is very "crude" in many simple features for document preparation like bibliography generation, page renumbering etc.

This other time a colleague wanted me to help with the problem of numbering a Word 2007 document with different page formats. It took us a lot of hours of googling to find the solution. In our googling, we noted there are also a lot of people out there who spent their time to accomplish such a trivial task and we could not find a clear answer to the problem. However, we managed to come up with a solution after several trial and error attempts. Hence we hereby share the solution for this trivial but time wasting task.

Place cursor at a point in your document that would separate two sections of your document.
Go to Page Layout menu then click on breaks
Then choose section break (not page breaks). You will then have your document separated into two sections at the point you put your cursor.
You can now apply appropriate page numbering formats for each of the sections. You can modify the page number formats through the footer or header.

A decade of the Internet in Malawi

2008-12-16T10:45:00.005+02:00

As Malawi joins the rest of Africa in commemorating the 2008 ICT week, this should also be time for reflection on the state of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in the country. This article attempts to chronicle the history of the Internet in Malawi as well as current challenges to Internet accessibility in Malawi.

The early 1990’s saw the birth of email services in Malawi. This was in the Physics Department of Chancellor College of the University of Malawi through the UNIMA E-Net project under the leadership of Dr Paulos Nyirenda. The UNIMA E-Net project was providing email services using FidoNet technology because that time around the Internet was not yet introduced in Malawi.

FidoNet is an electronic mail network with over 15,000 mail nodes world wide. FidoNet is independent of currently the most popular global network of computers known as the Internet. Over FidoNet, users can send private email messages to each other as well as share files. Although FidoNet computers can also get connected to the Internet, the popularity of the Internet has greatly diminished worldwide usage of other public computer networks like FidoNet. Malawi indeed also joined the bandwagon in adopting the Internet in 1997.

The UNIMA E-Net project provided email and internet services not only to the Chancellor College campus but also to surrounding areas in Zomba. Services within Chancellor College campus were mainly provided through a Local Area Network (LAN). Surrounding areas accessed UNIMA E-Net services through dial-ups over phone lines. Having worked at the UNIMA E-Net project in the later years of its inception, I can still remember how it was becoming difficult to satisfy demand for Internet services at Chancellor College and indeed to other surrounding areas of Zomba.

The first private Internet Service Provider (ISP) in the country, Malawi Net, was formed in 1997. In 1999, Malawi SDNP, a semi-government owned and UNDP funded ISP, was formed. However, the new millennium saw the formation of new private ISPs in Malawi like Africa-Online and later on Globe Internet Company. The fixed phone provider, Malawi Telecommunications Limited (MTL), has also recently joined the bandwagon of Internet Service Providers in the country.

Malawi SDNP has played a significant role in the development and accessibility of the Internet in Malawi. For example, internet access in University of Malawi colleges was introduced through the Malawi SDNP. Malawi SDNP was responsible for providing Internet services to the Malawi Polytechnic, Kamuzu College of Nursing, Bunda College of Agriculture and also Mzuzu University. This is addition to providing internet services to private organizations and individuals in the country.

Other private ISPs have also contributed greatly to Internet accessibility in the country by providing services like wireless Internet. A proliferation of wi-fi hotspots in urban areas of the country bears testimony to this development. It is also now possible to access wireless broadband Internet in some residential areas in some urban areas of the country. In addition, it is also now possible to access Internet services through mobile phones.

Despite the gains that have been made in the provision of Internet services in Malawi by different stakeholders in the last decade, there are many challenges that need to be addressed. One of the major challenges is the prohibitive cost for one to access internet services in Malawi. However, it is important to note that high costs to Internet access in Malawi are just symptomatic of the many challenges Internet Service Providers in the country face.

One of the major challenges facing internet service providers in Malawi is the lack of a local Internet Exchange Point (IXP) in our country. An IXP is physical infrastructure that allows different Internet Service Providers to exchange Internet traffic between their autonomous systems by means of mutual peering agreements. IXPs are typically used by ISPs to reduce dependency on their respective upstream providers hence improving cost savings, data transfer efficiency and fault-tolerance. For example, here in Malawi, an email message sent from a Malawi Net address to a Malawi SDNP address can not be sent directly to Malawi SDNP yet both of these ISPs are right here in Malawi. Instead the email message will have to go to an upstream service provider for Malawi Net and then the message has to be routed to the upstream service provider for Malawi SDNP which will in turn route the message to Malawi SDNP servers in Blantyre. It is important to note that both of these upstream service providers are usually outside Africa. This means that data which was supposed to be exchanged locally within Malawi in Africa has to pass through Europe or North America where these Internet upstream providers are based. This is unnecessary wastage of upstream bandwidth since our ISPs in Malawi may unnecessarily use upstream bandwidth for traffic which can typically be routed directly amongst them.

Another challenge in accessing Internet services in the country is the high cost of using the .mw domain. Currently Malawi SDNP administers the .mw domain on behalf of the Malawi government. For any patriotic Malawian, it is very necessary to have our own email addresses and websites to be using the .mw domain. However, this is not the case. We normally see .com and .net domains being in use by many Malawian companies and individuals. This is because these foreign domain names are cheaper to acquire than our own .mw domain. As an example, a good number of Malawians now have blogs on the world-wide web (WWW) but very few are using the .mw domain on their blog addresses. In addition to this, how many Malawians can afford to have .mw email addresses? Because it is expensive to have our email addresses with our own .mw domain, we now see that many Malawians use yahoo.com, gmail.com and other foreign email addresses. This has a financial implication in that accessing mail using these email addresses will lead one to use upstream bandwidth since email servers for these email addresses are outside Africa. This scenario is not only specific to Malawi but to many African countries because of lack of internet infrastructure.

Another major challenge is to bring ICT services, the Internet in particular, to rural areas of Malawi. Currently ICT services in the country are concentrated in urban areas. For example, it is easy to find Internet cafes in most urban areas. This is not the case in most rural areas. Obviously lack of necessary infrastructure like electricity and telephony services are contributing to this state of affairs. However, the Minister of Information, Mrs Patricia Kaliati, deserves special mention for her vigorous advocacy in encouraging ICT service providers to take their services to rural areas. Since 80% of Malawians live in rural areas, it is very necessary that this population also benefit from ICTs for their socio-economic development.

Finally, the development of an optic fiber network in the country will obviously lead to improved telecommunication services in the country. With the development of the submarine optic fiber Internet backbone along the eastern African coast of the Indian Ocean, many African countries stand to benefit from this NEPAD initiative. I look forward to the day when our optic fiber network in Malawi will get connected to this submarine Internet backbone because it is only when this happens that we will say bye to expensive VSAT links.

*** The author, Bennett Kankuzi, is a computer scientist/software engineer based in Blantyre, Malawi ****

Access to telecommunication services in Malawi

2008-12-12T10:51:00.004+02:00

Reliable telecommunication networks are one of the key components of building an information-driven society. Other key components include robust computer hardware and software platforms. Robust systems will be resilient such that they perform satisfactorily as long as the system load is within the limits of the systems’ operating capacity. However, it is important to note that no matter how robust a system can be, its load has to be within its operating capacity. Exceeding the capacity of a system will obviously lead to persistent system failures hence seriously affecting the reliability of a system. Should we then say that mobile phone networks in the country are exhibiting symptoms of system overload?

An MTL billboard advertising LibertyNet wireless fixed phones

It is a fact that making calls on mobile phones in our country is characterized by dropped calls, unexplained network unavailability, undelivered text messages, truncated text messages among other problems. We know that we are always told that the systems are undergoing upgrades. But as esteemed subscribers, we have a right to know when are the so called system upgrades going to end. It is clear that mobile phone networks in our country can not scale up with the number of subscribers. Introduction of more mobile phone service operators in our country will definitely help to absorb the ‘heat’ which has proven too much to be withstood by Telekom Networks Malawi (TNM) and Zain Malawi.

In addition to this, it is my opinion that the cost of calling using mobile phones is unjustifiably expensive in our country. Moreover, mobile phone call charges in this country are not transparent. It is a fact that mobile phone service operators in our country do not publicly announce their call charges. It is only the fixed phone service provider, Malawi Telecommunication Limited (MTL), which publishes in the media their call charges. Should we then speculate on why our mobile phone service operators seem to be ‘hiding’ their call charges? Should we speculate that they want to maximize profits for their shareholders at the expense of poor Malawians? As subscribers, we need not to be blinded by cosmetic charity works and product promotions conducted by these companies because they just benefit a few people. Obviously, what we need most are affordable call rates that would benefit all.

The introduction of wireless fixed phones by MTL was welcomed by many as a positive step in providing affordable fixed phone access to many. However, it is very difficult to find these phones in MTL shops. This is despite the fact that we constantly see billboards advertising these ‘Liberty’ and ‘CM121L’ phones. One then wonders what kind of advertising strategy this is? A company advertising a product it does not have in stock? Clearly, MTL is missing a golden opportunity to broaden its revenue base by failing to meet the demand for these wireless fixed phones. Instead of focusing on ‘offloading’ some of its workers, MTL has all the chances to expand in a country with one of the lowest fixed phone line penetrations in Africa.

Indeed it is high time that telecommunication service providers in our country start expanding to meet the demands of a growing information-driven society. However, as consumers, we also expect reasonable service charges from these service providers so that telecommunication services in the country are accessible to many Malawians!

My tribute to Thabo Mbeki

2008-09-23T14:20:00.008+02:00

President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa offered to step down as the President of South Africa on 21/09/2008. The events surrounding his resignation are not the purpose of this post. Rather, I would like to pay tribute to President Mbeki for his outstanding performance as a true African statesman, visionary and an intellectual.

To me, President Mbeki shall remain a true African statesman who not just wanted to please the West in his foreign policy but instead spearheaded “African solutions to African problems”. The formation of a unity government in Zimbabwe by Comrade Mugabe and Mr Tsvangirai bears testimony to the resilience and patience of President Mbeki. When some were proposing that sanctions and diplomatic isolation were a ‘solution’ to the problems of Zimbabwe, Mr Mbeki and other African patriots saw the need for continued diplomacy which eventually paid dividends. In addition to this, to show his true statesmanship, President Thabo Mbeki has ‘without any qualms’ offered to step down when others would have not done so.

I also salute Mr Mbeki for his vision of an African Renaissance. Through this vision, the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD) was formed. Moreover, Mr Mbeki has also persistently advocated for the transformation of Africa. He has always advocated for Africans to be proud of who we are as a people. His poems such as "I am an African" are testimony to this. I for one am a proud Malawian who is also very proud to be African. Mr Mbeki’s writings always give me inspiration.

We love you, Thabo Mbeki. You are a true African statesman and you are my hero! Do not worry, Mr Mbeki, for we surely know that those that have plotted your 'fall' shall surely fall by the same sword they have used.