04 March 2025

The Malawian government has signed a five-year, $29.97 million passport production contract with Madras Security Printers Private Limited, which will replace local ICT company E-Tech Systems.

The decision comes after the government terminated a $60.8 million contract with Techno Brain in 2021, citing violations in the agreement signed by the previous administration. Last year, E-Tech Systems was briefly contracted to produce passports.

“The new supplier can print more than 2,000 passports each day, compared to the present output of less than 1,000. This will significantly reduce the backlog and shorten passport processing times,” said Minister of Homeland Security Ezekiel Ching’oma.

Malawi’s passport system has seen numerous technological and security problems in recent years.

The Immigration Department ceased passport production in February 2023 due to a system failure. Around the same time, President Lazarus Chakwera announced in Parliament that cyber criminals had hacked the system and demanded a ransom, hindering operations.

The government has since sought a more secure and efficient digital passport system to avoid future cyber threats and delays.