(Ecofin Agency) - Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) wants to stop the import of ICT devices that do not comply with international standards. Importers are the ones really targeted by the strategy.

The new law will list all standards to bring products into the country in accordance with regulatory, technical and minimum safety requirements. Dan Chiwoni, the head of MACRA's legal department, said this is an urgent matter in regard to the new challenges facing consumers and even the country by this lack of appropriate regulation.

Poor quality of service, hacking and data theft, health and environmental risks, etc. are all threats that the telecom regulator wants to stop before they spread further. The law on conformity and interoperability will be added to a series of technical mechanisms for quality control of ICT devices already adopted by the national telecoms market police.

The regulatory framework in preparation will carry out an automatic prior selective sorting for MACRA, in its mission to control and certify ICT and telecom equipment.