The National Registration Bureau (NRB) has made significant strides in providing essential identification services to Malawians, having printed and issued over 12 million National Identity Cards and 3 million birth certificates since 2015. This achievement represents 76 percent coverage of the population, marking a crucial milestone in the country’s national registration efforts.
During his monthly update on Thursday in Lilongwe, Principal Secretary for the Bureau, Mphatso Sambo, assured Malawians that the NRB is on track to issue and distribute all remaining National Identity Cards by the first week of September 2025. He attributed this success to the ongoing support the bureau receives from the government and international partners, which has significantly reduced delays in the issuance of national identity cards.
“Let me assure Malawians that all challenges of delayed issuance of IDs have been addressed as the bureau is currently printing over 200,000 cards monthly,” Sambo stated. He also confirmed that almost all distribution centers have received the cards, with the remaining cards expected to be ready for collection by next week.
In addition to issuing ID cards, Sambo highlighted the bureau’s close collaboration with the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) in preparation for the 2025 elections. He emphasized that the NRB is working in accordance with the law to ensure accurate and up-to-date data for the upcoming electoral process.
“We are also expecting to meet our stakeholders to discuss the data we have collected so far, particularly in comparison with the registration data trends from 2018,” Sambo added.
Despite the positive developments, there have been unsettling figures circulating on social media regarding the number of registered individuals per district. The NRB has not yet confirmed these figures but plans to address the issue during its upcoming meeting with stakeholders.
The NRB’s progress in national registration is a critical step towards enhancing the delivery of public services and ensuring that every Malawian is accounted for in the national database. As the 2025 elections approach, the timely issuance of ID cards will be essential in enabling eligible voters to participate in the democratic process.
