By Jimmy Chazama:
Basic computer training is giving visually impaired Malawians greater independence, with beneficiaries saying they can now apply for jobs and conduct transactions without relying on other people.
One of the trainees, Godfrey Milanzi, said he previously depended on others to apply for jobs and carry out transactions, which was costly and insecure.
“Now I can do it myself and even teach others,” Milanzi said.
He was among 28 visually impaired people who graduated on Friday after completing a two-week basic computer training programme in Lilongwe.
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The training is part of the Inclusive Digital Transformation for Malawi initiative, implemented through a partnership between United Nations Development Programme Malawi and the ICT Association of Malawi (Ictam).
The programme has so far trained 56 visually impaired people in two cohorts of 28 participants each. The first cohort underwent training last year.
Organisers said the initiative is aimed at equipping visually impaired people with digital skills to enable them to participate in the digital economy and live more independently.
Speaking at the graduation ceremony, Ictam General Manager Andrew Kamwendo said the number of people trained remained small compared with Malawi’s estimated 800,000 visually impaired people.
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“This figure shows how thousands of visually impaired persons remain excluded from digital opportunities,” Kamwendo said.
He urged the government, private sector and civil society to invest more resources and provide assistive devices to expand access to digital skills.
Deputy Director of Information in the Ministry of Information and Digitalisation Christina Mkutumula described the initiative as an investment in inclusion and Malawi’s digital future.
Mkutumula said the challenge was to expand such programmes beyond the two cohorts so that more visually impaired people could benefit from the country’s digital transformation
