By Our Reporter

Copyright mwnation

The Non-Governmental Organisations Regulatory Authority (Ngora) says 157 NGOs are operating without proper registration while 321 risk being deregistered for operating without valid licences contrary to the Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO) Act of 2022.

In an interview yesterday, Ngora acting director of compliance Thokozani Chibwana said as of September 1, 1 248 NGOs were registered, including 181 new ones.

He said his office cannot monitor NGOs that are not registered, but he noted they pose a security threat to the country.

Said Chibwana: “Unregulated NGO operations may facilitate illicit activities such as money laundering, theft, terrorist financing, human trafficking and sexual exploitation.

“The NGO Act and NGO Policy exist to safeguard public interest and ensure that NGOs operate transparently, ethically and responsibly.”

Asked in which sectors the non-compliant NGOs are operating, he said 80 percent of the unregistered NGOs operate in agriculture, health and education sectors while 20 percent are in the governance space.

The regulatory body has since given an ultimatum of September 30 for the NGOs to register.

Reacting to the sentiments, Council for Non-Governmental Organisations in Malawi (Congoma) board chairperson George Jobe said there could be reasons behind the increase in the number of unregistered organisations.

He was, however, quick to mention that his office will engage the NGOs to understand the factors behind this.

Human Rights Defenders Coalition vice-chairperson Michael Kaiyatsa attributed the increase in non-compliant and unregistered organisations to the cumbersome process of registration.

He said most NGOs are also struggling financially due to the tough economic environment and requirements to have accounts audited.

Said Kaiyatsa: “Audit services are very expensive and most of the NGOs in the country cannot afford to secure such a service. The new NGO Act is proving to be a setback not only to new and small organisations, but also the old ones.

“Again, withdrawal of aid by the United States of America affected a number of NGOs in the country and this could be a contributing factor.”

Youth Forum for National Transformation, a Lilongwe-based NGO that promotes youth empowerment, is among 157 organisations that are yet to register.

Its executive director Chifundo Robert said the process required to register an organisation is long and not favourable for small organisations

“It has been almost two years since we started the process to register with Ngora. It is really hard for small organisations like ourselves,” he said.