APM says national IDs will transform Malawi

President Peter Mutharika has said the newly-launched national identification documents (IDs) will transform Malawi as they will change every sphere of life.

The President made the remarks in Lilongwe yesterday during the launch of the compulsory birth certificates and national ID cards for Malawi at Bingu International Convention Centre (Bicc).

He said the project is a milestone for Malawi, observing that  the cards will, among others, address challenges the country faces due to their absence.

Said the President: “If anyone wonders whether our reforms to change Malawi are working, show them our national identity card. If anyone doubts whether we can make Malawi a new country with new systems; tell them: Yes we can. And this is what we are doing.

“Transformation has no other name. It [transformation] is when a country takes the road of new innovations that we know we are making progress. The national identity card and inauguration of a modern national system for Malawi is a symbol of national transformation.”

According to Mutharika, Malawi needs well established and organised systems.

“Two years ago, we collectively promised to undertake Public Service Reforms. We committed to change our national systems because we cannot change this country with old systems. We want to make Malawi work with new systems. This is our national direction,” he said.

Since the launch of the national ID cards project in August last year, 5 000 cards have been processed and printed by the National Registration Bureau (NRB) with the help of development partners, including United Nations and United States of America (USA).

By December, 95 000 more cards will have been produced whereas a full scale rollout is expected in the second quarter of 2017 with an estimated target of nine  million Malawians aged from 16 years getting their cards.

In the same vein, government is implementing a universal and compulsory birth registration for all newly born babies and all children under the age of 16. Success piloting of electronic birth registration and manual birth registration have been carried out in Chitipa, Lilongwe, Ntcheu and Blantyre.

In her remarks, US Ambassador Virginia Palmer said the cards are transformative to the country as they will “ensure that Malawians access services offered by their government such as education and health while other nationals will be required to pay like how it is done in other countries”.

UN resident coordinator Mia Seppo said the national ID cards will play a big role in designing polices that directly reflect on the citizenry.

In an interview later, head of Britain’s Department for International Developmenty (DfID), Philip Smith, said: “Being able to verify the identity of individuals is a prerequisite for Malawi’s development. The UK is pleased to be able to support the Government’s flagship ID card project, which will provide all Malawians with a legal identity.

ID cards have the potential to deliver transformative change in Malawi. After the Government of Malawi—which is commendably providing 40 percent of the funds—the UK is the biggest donor to the project with a commitment of $11 million [about K8 billion].”n