President Lazarus Chakwera.

The ICT Association of Malawi has offered to help the government resolve the ICT-related issues that are impeding passport production operations, only days after the president announced a ‘major breach in Malawi's national security'.

President Lazarus Chakwera announced last week that hackers had taken control of the country's passport printing machinery, demanding an undisclosed payment.

"We are not in the business of appeasing criminals with public money, nor are we in the business of negotiating with those who attack our country," the president told parliament last Wednesday without giving more information on the nature of the attack or the identity of the suspected hackers.

However, in a statement, the ICT Association of Malawi expressed its willingness to lend its knowledge to overcoming the difficulties impeding passport production operations and ensuring national security, including the efficient delivery of essential services to our residents.

The umbrella body representing all ICT experts in Malawi repeated the president's worry about the ‘severity of this issue'.

“As responsible stakeholders in Malawi’s ICT landscape, we are compelled to take proactive measures to assist in combating these digital threats. We have a pool of skilled cyber security experts who are prepared to collaborate with the immigration department through e-government, offering their expertise without any financial burden,” the association said in statement signed by the general secretary Andrew Kamwendo.

He added: “We extend our hand in partnership to the immigration department, standing ready to contribute our expertise towards resolving the ICT-related challenges hindering passport printing operations.”