In his quest to resolve the system failure at the Department of Immigration and Citizenship Services, President Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera on Wednesday summoned heads and technocrats from various ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) to a meeting at the Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe to discuss and find a lasting solution to the problem.

The technical glitches have rendered the department helpless as it cannot print passports for the applicants. Also in attendance at the meeting were private sector player – the ICT Association of Malawi (ICTAM).

Speaking in Lilongwe on Wednesday when he launched the Malawi Business Registration System (MBRS) and the Land Information Management System (LIMS), President Chakwera said he does not treat the fall of the system at the Department of Immigration and Citizenship Services lightly.

He said this is why he decided to engage anyone with expertise in the ICT sector so that they can find a solution to the problem.

 “So at that meeting, I said bluntly that the work of restoring the passport system should not be taken lightly because that system is important for the security of our country, and I ordered that the officials at Immigration Department be given all the necessary support, including the support of experts from the ICT Association of Malawi (ICTAM),” he said.

President Chakwera further disclosed that he warned the officials that if they fail to do the job, he will identify others to do it, stressing that it is unfair for Malawians to be suffering to get a passport because someone failed to properly manage the information.

He said as the country launches the new systems, it is imperative that those in charge should discharge their duties with ultimate diligence and highest sense of professionalism and in compliance with the law.

The President said Malawians should not allow what happened at the Department of Immigration and Citizenship Services to replicate in other sectors.