The World Intellectual Property Organisation (Wipo), has ranked Malawi as the third most innovative low-income countries.

According to a report by Wipo, the ranking has also involved economic and regulatory spheres which directly impact a country’s level of innovation and vice versa, as innovation in turn becomes an economic driver, stimulating further investment.

On a global scale, Malawi has been ranked 111. Meanwhile the country registers an electrification rate of 11%, while 78.1% of mobile money agents are located in urban and semi-urban areas, with the remaining 21.9% are in rural areas.

Last year, the Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) rolled out an initiative known as the Universal Service Fund, which is aimed at providing means to the majority of Malawians in the rural areas who do not have adequate access to information and communication technology (ICT) services. MACRA invited the Parliamentary Media Committee to its offices at Ginnery Corner in Blantyre on Tuesday to appraise it on the progress being done. During the presentation, it was outlined that rural areas lack adequate access to ICT services, which was attributed to poor or no network coverage.