MACRA to launch Malawi space agency

The programme is said to benefit the country in a variety of ways, including socioeconomic growth, geopolitical stability, and policy and regulatory compliance.

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Malawi: The Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA), in collaboration with the Ministry of Information and Digitalisation, is planning to launch the first Malawi space agency, which will be tasked with exploring Malawi's potential in utilising space resources for scientific and technological advancements.

According to a statement issued on September 26th, 2022 and signed by Director General for MACRA, Daud Suleman, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) recognised the need for all member states to have space resources to enable them to explore their satellite ambitions and stated that Malawi is one of having a dedicated orbital slot for national programmes.

Suleman said communications satellites offer a variety of benefits, including long-distance communication services to accommodate many devices and provide internet access, covering a larger geographical area, and overcoming terrain and topology challenges.

The programme is said to benefit the country in a variety of ways, including socioeconomic growth, geopolitical stability, and policy and regulatory compliance.

Following this development, Malawi will host its first-ever space conference in Lilongwe from the 9th to the 11th of November 2022 at the Bingu International Conference Centre (BICC).

Among other things, the conference will discuss the protection and utilisation of Malawi's space resources for Malawi2063.