LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-The country’s civil rights group under the banner Black Economic Empowerment Movement (MaBLEM) remains in E-Tech Services Limited’s capacity and expertise to fully restore Malawi’s passport services Immigration Department.
The grouping has therefore lauded President Lazarus Chakwera’s government for its efforts in restoring passport services in both Blantyre and Mzuzu.
MaBLEM says the current development meets the grouping’s appeal made.
In a press statement issued on July 30, 2024 signed by MaBLEM Chairperson Robert Mkwezalamba says swift and effective action represents significant progress and deserves recognition from all conscientious Malawians.
“MaBLEM remains confident in E-Tech’s capacity and expertise to fully restore our passport services. We acknowledge that the system crash earlier this year disrupted immigration services not only within Malawi but also across our foreign missions, necessitating all processing to be handled locally.
“This disruption caused significant hardship, forcing individuals from both the south and north to camp at the Immigration headquarters in Lilongwe for extended periods without receiving services. Consequently, many faced considerable costs, health risks, theft, and even violent attacks,” reads the statement in part.
MaBLEM adds, “Despite previous attempts to prematurely terminate E-Tech’s services, we are pleased that our advocacy has led to government support for the entity. As a result, E-Tech has successfully resumed passport services in both the southern and northern regions of Malawi.
“While we acknowledge that these centers are currently limited to receiving, processing applications, and issuing passports, we remain committed to urging the government to provide full support to E-Tech”.
Mkwezalamba appeals, “We advocate for the decentralization of passport printing services and call for the inclusion of online application tracking and mobile alerts. These enhancements would greatly improve the process, reducing the need for applicants to repeatedly visit immigration offices due to unclear procedures.
“We urge the government to continue supporting E-Tech during this critical period of heightened demand for passports. It is essential to ensure that service provision remains uninterrupted. Additionally, we call for an increase in manpower within the Immigration Department to effectively manage the high volume of new passport applications and address the backlog created by the system crash”.
MaBLEM says, “While government experts struggled to restore the passport system after its crash, MaBLEM commends E-Tech for exceeding expectations. As of July 25, 2024, E-Tech has issued an additional 24,000 passports with no reported issues related to chip failures or quality. Travelers using these new passports have encountered no difficulties.
“Notably, E-Tech’s successful revival of the Immigration website—enabling applicants to download essential forms—has significantly
alleviated previous inconveniences. In light of this, the government should sincerely acknowledge E-Tech Services for averting a significant embarrassment caused by the previous system failure and the inability of recruited experts to address it.”
“MaBLEM remains dedicated to ensuring fair access to services for all deserving Malawians at the Immigration Department. We are committed to addressing and rectifying any processes that cause unnecessary inconvenience and to eliminating bottlenecks in service delivery. Malawians deserve high-quality, excellent, and timely services,” says Mkwezalamba.