IDT4M’s Azhar Malik believes the programme will go a long way in advocating for digital rights for the visually impaired in Malawi.

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Malawi has rolled out a 15-day Training of Trainers (ToT) initiative, aimed at creating a cohort of visually impaired master trainers capable of delivering essential digital skills to their peers across the country.

The Inclusive Capacity Building for the Visually Impaired programme, which is running from 10–28 November, equips participants with practical competencies in computer basics, word processing, spreadsheets and internet use, including email.

The goal is to build a cohort of visually impaired digital trainers who can replicate the training in their communities, widening access to ICT skills among one of Malawi’s most marginalised groups. 

The ToT forms part of the broader Inclusive Digital Transformation for Malawi (IDT4M) programme, a UNDP-led effort to ensure that the country’s digital shift leaves no one behind. The training directly tackles one of the most persistent inclusion gaps – limited digital access for persons with disabilities – by investing in their capacity to use, teach and advocate for accessible technologies.

The programme is delivered in partnership with the ST Foundation, the ICT Association of Malawi (ICTAM), the Ministry of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare, and the Malawi Union of the Blind. The ST Foundation provides a globally tested ICT curriculum and leads facilitation, while ICTAM and government actors offer technical, institutional and policy support to embed digital accessibility in Malawi’s wider ICT ecosystem.

Azhar Malik, digital advisor, IDT4M said this programme will go a long way in advocating for digital rights for the visually impaired in Malawi.

“Participants are trained in touch-typing and keyboard mastery, text formatting, file management and document handling, internet browsing, online research and safe navigation, online communication tools, including email, spreadsheet creation and basic data management there by setting up and using email platforms such as Gmail,” said Malik.

The first 10 days focus on hands-on skills development, while the final five days consolidate learning through practical scenarios and preparation for peer training.

After completing the course, the newly trained master trainers will support ICT components of disability programmes, conduct local training sessions and offer one-on-one coaching to peers.

With an estimated 763,000 visually impaired individuals in Malawi, UNDP says its long-term ambition is to institutionalise inclusive digital capacity-building nationwide and ensure accessibility becomes a core principle in future digital policies, platforms and services.

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