By Vincent Gunde
A Team of officers from National Social Protection Program in the Ministry of Finance, Economic Planning and Development visited the Dowa District executive committee (Dec) that the United Beneficiary Registry (UBR) has changed the naming to Malawi Social Registry (MSR) to reflect its broader functionality in supporting identification of beneficiaries to enroll in various social protection programs.
The Government of Malawi is undergoing changes in its systems facing out the Unified Beneficiary Registry (UBR) to Malawi Social Registry (MSR) to play a vital role in ensuring that social protection programmes effectively identify the poorest and most vulnerable populations in the country.
To fulfill its purpose, a one-stop platform supporting intake registration and determination of potential eligibility for multiple programmes, the registry’s data must be kept accurate and up to date because records of people are continuously changing.
The Operational framework is required to build and maintain a dynamic social registry that reflects the evolving needs and circumstances of the households and individuals it serves in a database (Social Dynamic Registry) that is regularly updated and responsive to people’s lives.
Presenting the program, Data Management Officer at the Malawi Social Registry (MSR) Martha Ntapala Liwonde, said the program will be implemented in piloted districts of Dowa and Balaka in the areas of two Traditional Authorities each commencing from 1st November, 2025 –March, 2025.
Ntapala- Liwonde said in Dowa, the program will be implemented in the areas of traditional authorities Mponela and Mkukula for improved responsiveness to household changes and enhanced targeting and program efficiency.
She said the programme will see to it that there is improved data accuracy and reliability, data- driven decision- making and policy adaptation, adaptability during emergencies or crisis and support social inclusion and reducing inequality.
The officer aid the objective of the pilot is to generate evidence on how local community structures and integration can support timely, inclusive, and accountable dynamic updates to Malawi Social Registry in the villages.
In his remarks, Dowa District Council’s Chief Planning Officer Emmanuel Dziko Sohaya, said continuous data updating is a welcome development because it ensures that household data is up to date, and that no household old or new, will be left behind.
Sohaya thanked the Ministry for choosing to pilot the program in Dowa district urging the members of the Dec especially ICT and District Community Development Officer (DCDO) and all who will directly anchor this project to provide all necessary support so that the pilot is a success and the project scales up.
