Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in the country have added their weight to the registration of generic numbers and SIM cards exercise by the Malawi Regulatory Authority (MACRA).

A group of CSOs made this call during a press briefing which was organized by MACRA in Mangochi.

A veteran human rights activist Undule Mwakasungula said CSOs are committed to support MACRA saying the intervention will help to deal with cyber crimes the country is facing due to unregistered SIM cards.

“The benefits of registering SIM cards are so many so we would like to urge people to undergo the exercise  for the interests of themselves as consumers and the public,” Mwakasungula said.

In her remarks, Communications Manager for MACRA, Clara Mwafulirwa described the engagement of the CSOs as crucial in accomplishing the intended goal.

“As you are aware CSOs are there to protect rights of the people and they are the voice of the voiceless so we thought that engaging them would help a lot in the efforts of sensitization,” she said.

“As MACRA our message is one – we are asking people to hear the call, this will also help to deal with all forms of fraud that is happening on the market.”

The initiative is an implementation of the changes made in the Communications Act of 2016.