Techno Brain says it has no connection to the shutdown of the Malawi e-passport system but it offered suggestions to restore the system and has not heard from Malawi Government regarding the suggestions.
This is according to a statement which the technology firm has released today.
The system stopped working last month after Department of Immigration officials allegedly attempted to print passports after licence for the system had expired. Some reports had linked Techno Brain to the shutdown.
However, the company has distanced itself from the system shutdown and says it, in fact, responded by offering suggestions for restoring the system.
“We have not heard back from the Malawi Government on these suggestions,” says the statement.
Techno Brain had a contract with Malawi Government for operations of the system and supply of passports booklets but the contract was terminated by the Tonse Alliance administration in 2022.
According to the company, it handed over the operations and management of the e-passport system to Immigration in June 2023. This included training of Department of Immigrations officers as well as handover of source code and all security credentials and protocols.
However, after the handover, the Malawi Government has been reaching out to Techno Brain for support for the system and the company has helped Malawi on three occasions.
Meanwhile, Techno Brain has expressed hope that Malawi Government will resolve the issues.
Last week, President Lazarus Chakwera appeared before Parliament where he claimed that hackers had hacked the passport system and were demanding ransom. He warned that public officers involved in the hacking would face action.
