Following complaints from Malawians about extensive delays in passport processing, the country’s Department of Immigration and Citizenship Services confirms it has begun publishing the names of people whose passports have been printed, and contacting them via SMS.
The backlog is partially attributed to a data breach last year, that saw the department’s systems subject to a ransomware attack, but the issue has been exacerbated by a handover between service providers.
The department says it has since migrated the data between systems and undertaken a reconciliation of the detailed verification process. These were also part of the technical difficulties hampering application processing.
Last year, TechnoBrain, the incumbent supplier of passport services, was replaced by local ICT firm E-Tech Solutions. Giving ITWeb Africa an update on the transition, Pasqually Zulu, national public relations officer for the Malawi Department of Immigration and Citizenship Services, confirmed that everything was going smoothly with the data migration.
He noted that another part of the process that needed to be resolved is that the Malawian passport systems are being integrated with Interpol, local banks and the National Registration Bureau (NRB). The NRB is the government department which oversees the National Registration and Identification System (NRIS) and issues birth and death certificates, as well as national identity cards.
Zulu called on the public to have patience and assured them that progress is being made. “What I can advise the public is their patience is appreciated during this transition as it may affect timely service delivery, but they should be assured that all will be well soon.
“We are trying our level best to ensure that we serve Malawians selflessly, diligently, and tirelessly,” he said.
According to a statement issued by the Malawai Government last month, over 1 000 passports have been printed recently. However, the statement added that more than 100 000 passport applications had accumulated over the years, and their processing was still pending.
Malawians have been taking to social media to express their grievances with long queues at the immigration offices, among other complaints.
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