By Augustus Nkhwazi

Mzuzu, May 13, Mana: The Malawi Communication Regulatory Authority (MACRA) says sim card registration will track culprits behind online frauds in Malawi.

MACRA Director of Legal and Consumer Protection, Kelious Mlenga, said this Tuesday during a consultative meeting with stakeholders in Mzuzu.

According to Mlenga, currently, the digital landscape in Malawi is saturated with fraudulent individuals who are duping innocent Malawians of their financial resources without being traced hence formulation of regulations for sim registration to address the problem.

He said the new sim registration regulations will help law enforcers track criminals, enhance accuracy and improve service delivery of telecommunication companies among other benefits.

“It is paramount that the process is in line with the Communications Act. This process requires that individuals must be honest with the information they provide and keep their personal information security by not sharing with others,” he said.

Mlenga said the new regulations have put limitations on the number of sim cards an individual can register.

Individuals can register up to 10 sim cards and up to 30 for companies.

“These regulations have outlined offences and penalties such as fines of up to K50,000 on a daily basis for individuals and K150,000 per day for companies,” he stated, adding that these are meant to deter criminal conducts.

On matters of security, Mlenga said the regulations have put in place a biometric registration procedure which will help trace those perpetrating the crimes who mostly use other people’s identity cards to register their sim cards.

The process is scheduled to take place between July and September 2025 with a grace period provided.

Mayor for Mzuzu City, Kondwani Brian Nyasulu, supports the move taken by MACRA saying it will help bring sanity and protect people from falling victims to online fraud.

Said Nyasulu: “If we join hands and work together, it is possible to have a safer digital landscape in Malawi.”

Participants to the meeting included religious leaders, traditional leaders, civil society organizations, social media influencers, university students, police, Malawi Defence Force, immigration, councilors and the media, among others.