* To enhance NRB service delivery as its machines were producing about 200 cards a day
* To reduce waiting time and respond positively to the negative sentiments towards the NRB
By Paul Madisehas, MANA
National Registration Bureau (NRB) has acquired a high performance printer which has the capacity to produce 3,500 cards per day, unlike the machines the Bureau was using that was producing about 200 cards a day.
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This has been made possible with the support from the United States Embassy in Malawi, through Centre for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), and at the commissioning on Friday, Minister of Homeland Security, Ken Zikhale Ng’oma described the development as a milestone in improving NRB’s service delivery.
The Minister expressed concern that NRB had insufficient capacity to meet the growing demand of producing and printing National IDs — hence the new printer will reduce waiting time and respond positively to the negative sentiments towards the Bureau.
“The commissioning of the printer is not only a game changer but also will save government resources to printing national IDs,” he said, while expressing gratitude to the United States Embassy in Malawi, through Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), for the support rendered to NRB in procuring the high advanced printers.
Dr Verita Buie
Representing the CDC, Dr Verita Buie said the US government recognises the ongoing challenges NRB is facing, adding: “With the new printers, we are providing Malawi the capacity for printing nearly a double ID printing capacity and we expect delivery time to be about 30 days.”
Buie emphasised that the right to person identification is vital as it grants an individual access to key services such as education, health as well as voting.
In 2015, US government, through CDC with funding from the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), supported NRB in expanding birth and death registration in Malawi through the two five-year cooperation agreements worth over US$7 million.
“We are delighted with the progress made so far having expanded birth and death registration from only four facilities in 2015 to all facilities in all 28 districts in the country,” Buie said.
“Community registration has been introduced in 18 districts in the country as part of the civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) through which mothers can be able to access birth certificates for their children before leaving the hospital.”
Also present was Secretary to the President & Cabinet, Colleen Zamba, who said the initiative will enable NRB to maximise its service delivery by doubling the ID printing rate — thereby reducing waiting time.
Colleen Zamba
In his State of the Nation Address at Parliament in 2023, President Lazarus Chakwera announced that the NRB is working to remove the restriction of an expiry date on the national IDs, saying
it is aimed at preventing the risk of disenfranchising citizens from enjoying their right to vote.
He said the process was being done in partnership with the Electoral Commission, saying their will also save Government “the billions that would be needed to renew the cards that have already expired over the past two years”.
The national ID is used by Malawians for various puproses such as services for the bank, road traffic, insurance and many others including registering to vote in elections.
However, thousands of IDs expired and people are struggling to get them renewed due to inefficiencies at the NRB and financial reasons since a fee is required in order to renew the ID.
However, following Chakwera’s announcement, civil rights organisation Centre for Economic Development Initiatives protested the removal of expiry date on the IDs, saying the Malawian card uses state of the art encryption drawn from global standards such as the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and in line with ICAO — all being smart cards and travel documents that must have an expiry date.—Additional reporting by Duncan Mlanjira, Maravi Express
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