The Registrar General’s Department has transformed into a statutory corporation operating as Companies, Registrations and Intellectual Property Centre (CRIPC) formulated on April 1 2026 following amendments to the Business Registration Act.
Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs has since announced the launch of the CRIPC in Lilongwe scheduled for today.
The agency is mandated to administer business registration, intellectual property and civil registry services to enhance efficiency and service delivery.
However, the development comes amid public concerns about duplication of roles on civil and intellectual property registrations currently the domain of National Registration Bureau (NRB) and Copyright Society of Malawi (Cosoma), respectively.
But in a written response yesterday, the ministry’s spokesperson Frank Namangale said the CRIPC will manage administration of civil and property registrations, a distinct role from the two institutions.
He said: “Cosoma focuses on collective management of copyright and royalties for creative works, while CRIPC administers business registrations and industrial property rights such as patents, trademarks and designs. Together, they cover different aspects of intellectual property governance.
“On the other hand, NRB remains as a specialised authority for national identity and vital statistics. In practice, NRB handles citizen identity and demographic records while CRIPC handles business, corporate and industrial property registrations.”
In an earlier interview, Department of Arts director Humphrey Mpondaminga said the development aligns with the National Intellectual Property Policy which government approved a few years ago.
“Cosoma is projected to have streamlined functions, specifically collection and management of royalties. This will bring organisational efficiency for Cosoma as they will now handle fewer strategic programmes that are also funded,” he said.
Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Charles Mhango, Chief Justice Rizine Mzikamanda and other foreign dignitaries are expected to patronise the launch of CRIPC at Bingu International Convention Centre.
