By Suleman Chitera
The Minister of Information and Communications Technology, Shadric Namalomba, has issued a blunt warning to Airtel Malawi, demanding immediate and tangible improvements in service delivery amid mounting public frustration.
Namalomba delivered the message during an unannounced inspection of Airtel Malawi’s head office in Lilongwe, a move that underscored the government’s growing impatience with what many subscribers describe as unreliable network performance, dropped calls, slow data speeds, and inconsistent connectivity.
The minister was unequivocal: customer complaints can no longer be treated as routine noise. He stressed that a mobile network operator of Airtel’s scale and market influence has a responsibility to provide services that meet basic quality expectations. According to Namalomba, improved coverage, network stability, and responsiveness to consumer grievances are not optional—they are obligations tied to Airtel’s licence to operate.
Facing the minister, Airtel Malawi’s Acting Managing Director, Abdul Shaik, acknowledged the challenges and sought to explain the slow pace of improvement. He attributed much of the delay to Malawi’s chronic foreign exchange shortages, which have hampered the importation of critical network equipment required to expand and modernise infrastructure.
Shaik said the company has, in recent months, been rolling out new sites and boosting network capacity to cope with a growing customer base. He maintained that remedial work is underway but described it as a gradual process constrained by economic realities beyond the company’s direct control.
“This is a journey,” Shaik said, appealing for government support, particularly in facilitating access to additional forex allocations to accelerate infrastructure upgrades.
However, the minister’s visit sends a clear signal: explanations alone will no longer suffice. With digital connectivity now central to commerce, education, governance, and social life, persistent network failures carry real economic and social costs. For consumers who pay daily for data and voice services, patience is wearing thin.
Namalomba’s intervention places Airtel Malawi under intensified scrutiny. The expectation from both government and the public is clear—promises must translate into measurable improvements on the ground, and quickly.
