Insurance Association of Malawi (IAM) says they expect improved efficiency by all the general insurance companies in the country following the introduction of the new Digital Motor Vehicle Insurance Certificates (DMVIC).
IAM representative, Dickson Malamba made the remarks in Mzuzu on Monday when the association held an interface session with police traffic officers, the media and others to brief them about the development and key distinguishing features between the old and new certificates.
He said all general insurance companies will cease to issue pre-printed certificates by December 31 this year, and the new system allows them to use one system for issuing the certificates, therefore there will be no excuses for inefficiency.
“Effective January 1, 2025, IAM will no longer use pre-printed insurance certificates for printing insurance certificates. Preprinted insurance certificates will be valid until December 31 2026. Further, the system will be instrumental in tracking stolen vehicles and eliminating fraudulent motor vehicle certificates on the roads of Malawi.”
“It is therefore important that we engage these stakeholders including the media so that they help us disseminate the information with the masses,” said Malamba.
Regional Police Traffic Officer for the North, Superintendent Augustine Chakanika commended IAM for the sensitisation meeting.
“We thank IAM for engaging us and for the new system. Our work involves enforcing such things like insurance, we therefore needed to know of the changes and how to easily track the counterfeit ones through the verification process that we have been told,” he said.
One of the journalists, Grecian Mbewe from Tuntufye Radio in Karonga also commended IAM for including them in the picture.
“As journalists from community radios, we play a big role in sensitising members of the community on any new developments. Most people follow community radios because they relate well with developments around their locations and the local languages used. The DMVIC will play a crucial role in eliminating accidents in our areas especially those caused by drivers with fraudulent certificates, this time they can’t beat the system,” said Mbewe.
Through the system, people can access DMVIC from their brokers digitally using platforms like WhatsApp and then print.
They can also verify the validity of the certificates using USSD code *4273# or download an application and install in their smartphones.
