Vote Imelda Kandiero Sabuni. For Director of Technology & Innovation, ICTAM
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Imelda Kandiero Sabuni
For Director of Technology & Innovation, ICTAM
Experience
Imelda brings over 12 years of experience in product strategy and development, technology leadership, IT service delivery, cloud technologies, digital transformation and governance. Her focus is not simply on generating ideas, but on building sustainable programmes, empowering people and creating environments where innovation becomes part of how we work.
Throughout her career she has led teams, built the Product Management function at NICO Technologies, and driven customer-centric products from strategy and design through testing, launch and continuous improvement.
She facilitated and led Bridge, a networking solution showcased at ICTAM EXPO 2026, and championed the Big Idea initiative at NICO, which grew into an annual Game Changer programme.
Beyond the organisation, she has contributed to the ICTAM National Students Hackathon, including the partnerships, funding advocacy and a six-month paid internship and mentorship pathway that connects emerging talent with industry.
She holds a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology and is pursuing a Master's in Innovation at the Malawi University of Science and Technology, with certifications in AWS, Microsoft Azure, Microsoft 365, PRINCE2 and ITIL.
- Years in technology and product leadership
- 12+
- Certifications: AWS, Azure, M365, PRINCE2, ITIL
- 5
- Paid internship pathway for hackathon talent
- 6 mo
- Bridge showcased at ICTAM EXPO
- 2026
I don't just create solutions; I build the people, partnerships, programmes and environments that enable innovation to thrive long after the initial idea.
Vision
More than a professional technology association.
I want ICTAM to become the connector between Malawi's technology talent and the industries that will drive our nation's growth.
Growth sectors
- Agriculture
- Mining
- Finance
- Manufacturing
- Climate resilience
- Healthcare
- Education
Brought together
- Technology talent
- Local innovators
- Expertise
- Partnerships
- Investment
- Industry knowledge
Each of these sectors is critical to Malawi's future, and each faces challenges that technology can help solve. The opportunity is not technology operating in isolation. It is bringing expertise, partnerships, investment and industry knowledge to those challenges until they become solutions.
Aligned with Malawi 2063, I want ICTAM to champion a more deliberate approach: identify real industry problems, mobilise Malawian talent, open opportunities for local technology businesses, and carry solutions from ideas through implementation and commercialisation.
ICTAM becomes
The hub where Malawi's challenges meet its technology capabilities, where local innovators find opportunity, and where collaboration produces solutions that drive national development.
Priorities
Turning vision into action
Systems, partnerships and programmes that deliver lasting value, not isolated activities that end when an event is over.
Download the full manifesto- 01
Align innovation with Malawi 2063
An innovation agenda shaped by national priorities and the needs of our growth sectors.
So innovation adds to productivity and economic growth.
- 02
Champion Malawi First procurement
Fair chances for qualified Malawian technology businesses to compete, prove themselves and scale.
So local solutions are tested, adopted and scaled.
- 03
Introduce Hunting in Packs
Members share opportunities, combine expertise and pursue projects together.
So members reach work beyond their individual size.
- 04
Bridge academia and industry
An industry-led skills-gap analysis, then mentorship, internships and curriculum input.
So talent is developed and connected to real opportunity.
- 05
Align standards for local adoption
Practical guidance on quality, cybersecurity, data protection and interoperability.
So capable local solutions earn trust and scale.
- 06
Turn ideas into commercial solutions
A pipeline from idea to product, pilot, customer and market, beyond hackathons.
So success is measured in solutions implemented.
Delivery
A systematic and sustainable approach
I will build a coordinated innovation programme through ICTAM, working with its leadership, members and partners.
I would begin with stakeholder consultations and a baseline assessment, followed by agreed priorities, an actionable programme and measurable indicators of progress.
Sustainable results require clear ownership, realistic planning, collaboration and continuous improvement. The aim is an ecosystem that keeps creating value beyond a single event or leadership term.
Identify
Understand members' capabilities and map challenges and opportunities across Malawi's growth sectors.
Connect
Bring together technology professionals, industry, academia, regulators and potential partners around shared priorities.
Enable
Facilitate the skills, partnerships, standards guidance and resources needed to develop viable solutions.
Implement
Create pathways towards pilots, procurement opportunities, adoption and commercialisation.
Measure and sustain
Establish clear targets, monitor progress and report on outcomes, using lessons learned to strengthen future initiatives.
The IMELDA way
A name you can hold me to.
Six letters. Six commitments. Each one maps to a step in how I will deliver.
Implement
Pathways to pilots, procurement, adoption and market.
Measure
Clear targets, honest progress reports, lessons applied.
Enable
Skills, partnerships, standards and resources for builders.
Lead
Clear ownership and realistic plans, from the front.
Deliver
Programmes that outlast a single event or term.
Adoption
Local solutions in real use, solving real problems.
Promise
An ICTAM that does more than talk about the future. One that creates it.
An ICTAM that opens doors for local technology businesses.
An ICTAM that connects students and emerging innovators to industry.
An ICTAM that brings technology into agriculture, mining, finance and climate.
An ICTAM that helps promising ideas become solutions people can use.
I believe in environments where people can thrive, partnerships that create opportunities, and programmes that last.
Innovation is not what we imagine. It is what we build, what we implement and the difference we make.
Imelda Kandiero Sabuni
