By Fletcher Chiponda
Nkhotakota, MANA: The National Registration Bureau (NRB) says it is optimistic that it will print all the remaining national identity card by March 2023.
Speaking to MANA on a completion of a five day awareness campaign NRB’s Public Relations Officer Norman Fulatila said, the bureau is at an advanced stage to purchase 20 new printing machines which he hopes will help to expedite the process.
He said the concerns are valid mainly to do with delays in processing national identity cards, saying there are indeed a backlog of records that needs to be printed.
Fulatila said the delay was due to printers that have been breaking down since 2021, but said things are in the final stages of procuring additional 20 printers.
He said to make things work, the Bureau will in the first few weeks of 2023 print the backlog records outside the country in what we call off show printing.
“We intend to increase our presence in rural set up through outreach registration activities. These are activities in which the district offices send people to rural communities.
“Issues of payment also contributed to the delay when it comes to issues of renewals. However, we are on course to continue with outreach activities because we have engaged NBS Bank to help us in collecting government revenue,” he said.
On the rolling out of Mass Child Registration, Fulatila said the pilot phase has been successful as the Bureau has registered over 100 % of projected number.
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