• By 2024, Malawi’s internet gender gap reached 15 points. Only 57% of women own mobile phones versus 74% of men.

• Closing the mobile gender gap could add $230 billion to the mobile industry, while inaction could cost $500 billion in GDP.

• Programs like Malawi Girls Can Code, IDT4M, and digital training for women creatives are making progress.

By 2024, Malawi’s gender gap in internet usage had widened to 15 percentage points, according to Afrobarometer’s latest report, Leave No Malawian Offline? Understanding the Country’s Persistent Gender Digital Divide.

Drawing on data from Malawi and 37 other African countries, the report highlights how device ownership underpins this divide: 74% of men own mobile phones compared to just 57% of women—a gap that has remained steady despite overall growth. Ownership is highest among educated individuals, urban residents, and those in the Northern Region.

Internet use remains limited overall. Only 26% of Malawians report going online at least a few times a month, placing the country second-lowest among 38 African nations surveyed in 2024/2025. Internet penetration stands at 27.7%, among the lowest in sub-Saharan Africa, largely due to limited ICT infrastructure and high service tariffs, even with widespread 4G coverage. Although 4G networks reach much of the country, high costs and low digital skills restrict use—illustrating a usage gap where coverage exists but adoption lags. Since 2008, internet use has gradually increased for both genders, yet the gender gap has grown.

The report further reveals that smartphone ownership remains low at 25% among adults, and only 10% of households own a computer. Education is the strongest predictor of regular internet use in Malawi, outweighing income, age, or location.

Malawi’s experience mirrors broader regional trends. Of the 785 million women still not using mobile internet in low- and middle-income countries, about 60% live in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, where gender gaps stand at 31% and 32%, respectively, according to the GSMA’s 2024 Mobile Gender Gap Report.

The economic cost of digital exclusion is significant. GSMA estimates that closing the gender gap in mobile ownership and use across low- and middle-income countries could generate $230 billion in additional mobile industry revenue over eight years. Meanwhile, the Global Digital Inclusion Partnership warns that 32 such countries risk losing over $500 billion in GDP over the next five years due to the digital gender divide.

Still, there are signs of progress. Initiatives like Malawi Girls Can Code have trained girls in digital skills. Other key initiatives advancing digital inclusion for women in Malawi include the Inclusive Digital Transformation for Malawi (IDT4M) project, a joint effort between the Government of Malawi and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). This initiative seeks to close the digital divide by expanding access to technology and fostering a more inclusive digital society. Complementing this, digital skills programs for women in the creative sector are equipping participants with essential tech competencies, promoting gender equality, and providing business development support—empowering women to thrive in the digital economy.

Building on these national efforts, global partnerships are also playing a vital role in accelerating progress. The GSMA’s Connected Women programme works with mobile operators and their partners to address the barriers to women accessing and using mobile internet and mobile money services. Encouragingly, when barriers are removed, women adopt mobile internet faster than men: in 2023, 120 million women came online globally, 50 million more than in 2022, GSMA reveals.

The digital divide in Malawi is not closing on its own. Without intervention, the gap between men and women will only grow, further excluding women from an increasingly digital economy and society. To reverse this trend, Afrobarometer urges policies that improve women’s access to mobile phones and expand educational opportunities for women and girls—both essential to bridging the gender digital divide.

Hikmatu Bilali