20 August 2026, Lilongwe: Expanding access to mobile internet could unlock new opportunities for millions of Malawians, improving access to education, financial services and digital public services, according to a new GSMA report released titled Driving Digital Transformation of the Economy in Malawi: Opportunities, Policy Recommendations and the Role of Mobile.
The report also finds that Malawi could unlock MWK 1.1 trillion in additional economic value and create 490,000 jobs by 2030 through targeted digital reforms.
Unveiled today as part of GSMA’s Digital Africa Summit, the report highlights a significant opportunity to accelerate inclusive growth if key barriers to mobile internet adoption are addressed. It also underscores how a digitally enabled economy can support Malawi’s national development priorities, including Malawi 2063, the Government 2025 – 2030 manifesto, the Digital Malawi Acceleration Project, and the Inclusive Digital Transformation for Malawi.
A strong foundation but a critical usage gap
Malawi has made meaningful progress in expanding digital infrastructure, achieving 87% 4G population coverage in 2025 and maintaining some of the most affordable mobile data prices in Africa. Mobile money is also well established, with 75% of adults actively using these services and more than 576 million transactions worth MWK 8.6 trillion processed in 2025.
However, despite this progress, Malawi faces a critical challenge: around 80% of the population lives within mobile broadband coverage but is not using mobile internet. This usage gap – one of the highest in Africa – is significantly above the regional average of around 65%, and is reflected in low levels of adoption, with unique mobile internet penetration at just 12.5% and smartphone adoption at 33%.
This underlines the scale of the opportunity for Malawi to accelerate digital adoption and reinforces that the next phase of digital transformation is not simply about expanding network coverage, but about enabling meaningful access and use.
Key barriers include device affordability, limited digital skills, and structural constraints in the investment environment, such as foreign exchange shortages and high energy costs. Addressing these challenges presents a major opportunity to accelerate digital inclusion and unlock economic growth across the country.
Caroline Mbugua, Senior Director Public Policy at GSMA Africa said: “Malawi has made strong progress in expanding connectivity and financial inclusion, but access alone is not enough. With 80% of the population still offline despite network coverage, the priority now must be turning access into meaningful use.
This requires decisive action to address affordability, digital skills and investment barriers. With the right policy environment in place, Malawi has a clear opportunity to unlock significant economic growth and ensure that digital transformation benefits everyone.”
A roadmap to digital transformation
GSMA’s analysis outlines a clear roadmap for policymakers and industry stakeholders to unlock Malawi’s digital potential. If its recommendations are implemented, Malawi could by 2030:
- Achieve 99% 4G population coverage, with remote areas served by alternative technologies
- Add 810,000 new mobile internet users, bringing the total to 5 million
- Generate MWK 1.1 trillion in additional economic value across key sectors
- Create 490,000 new jobs
- Deliver a net positive fiscal impact of MWK 179 billion through increased digital adoption and improved tax compliance
A call for bold policy action
The report emphasises that while mobile operators continue to invest despite macroeconomic pressures, a more enabling policy environment is essential to sustain and accelerate progress.
The report recommends action across six priority areas:
- Strengthening investment conditions – including prioritised access to foreign exchange, longer spectrum licence durations, lowering energy costs and recognising telecom infrastructure as critical national infrastructure
- Expanding rural connectivity – through more effective Universal Service Fund mechanisms and support for underserved areas
- Enabling mobile money growth – by reducing sector-specific levies, harmonising regulation, and supporting agent networks
- Improving affordability – including eliminating the 10% excise duty on mobile services and reducing taxes on entry-level smartphones to drive adoption
- Driving digital adoption – through national digital skills programmes and the expansion of digital public services
- Strengthening governance and strategy – by establishing a coordinated National Digital Economy Strategy, modernising digital legislation, and developing a national AI strategy aligned with continental frameworks
Without coordinated and timely policy action, Malawi risks missing a critical window to accelerate economic growth and close the digital divide.
-ENDS-
About GSMA
The GSMA is a global organisation unifying the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop and deliver innovation foundational to positive business environments and societal change. Our vision is to unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry, and society thrive. Representing mobile operators and organisations across the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries, the GSMA delivers for its members across three broad pillars: Connectivity for Good, Industry Services and Solutions, and Outreach. This activity includes advancing policy, tackling today’s biggest societal challenges, underpinning the technology and interoperability that make mobile work, and providing the world’s largest platform to convene the mobile ecosystem at the MWC and M360 series of events.
We invite you to find out more at gsma.com
Media contact
GSMA Press Office
pressoffice@gsma.com