United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has donated 152 printers to National Registration Bureau (NRB) to decentralise registration services and enable the instant printing of certificates.
Minister of Homeland Security Peter Mukhito said during the handover on Friday in Lilongwe that the printers will help address challenges in registering births, marriages and deaths, while improving access to national registration services.
He said government is working towards ensuring that children are registered at the centres where they are born and that marriages can be registered within local communities.
“We are moving forward towards the digital transformation of our country and, more so, delivering our services closer to the people,” said Mukhito.
UNDP deputy resident representative Chika Charles Aniekwe said the printers will be distributed to traditional authorities (T/As) and health centres to bring services closer to communities.
He said the initiative will ease access to registration services, particularly for people in hard-to-reach areas.
“The closer we bring registration centres to the people, the easier it is for them to access the services and spend their household resources on other needs rather than transport to travel far to be registered,” said Aniekwe.
The donation is part of UNDP’s $11 million (about K19.8 billion) digital transformation programme, which will run for about three years and seeks to improve digital connectivity and access to services, particularly in hard-to-reach areas.
The programme is expected to support the decentralisation of registration services and improve access to essential registration documents.
