Malawi Government has created a semi-autonomous agency to oversee business registration, intellectual property rights and commercial regulation in a move aimed at modernising local regulatory framework and improving service delivery, according to newly enacted legislation.
The Companies, Registrations, and Intellectual Property Centre, established under the Companies, Registrations and Intellectual Property Centre Act of 2025, will take over the functions of the Department of the Registrar General and operate as a standalone legal entity.
According to the Act, the centre will register companies, businesses and trusts, administer collateral registries and insolvencies, and oversee copyright and intellectual property rights.
In an interview at Parliament on Tuesday, Minister of Justice Titus Mvalo said the new agency is expected to play a key role in promoting formalisation of businesses and facilitating the protection and commercial use of intellectual property.
He said: “It will also promote efficiency in terms of revenue collection. The Department of the Registrar General ranks second or third in terms of revenue collection after the Malawi Revenue Authority. Having their own board will make it operate more efficiently.”
The Registrar General will serve as chief executive and controlling officer for the agency which will be funded through government appropriations, regulatory fees, fines, and donations.
Speaking separately, Mulanje West member of Parliament Yusuf Nthenda (Democratic Progressive Party-DPP) said the new structure will enhance legal clarity and improve efficiency, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises which account for the bulk of economic activity in the country.
