Minister of Homeland Security, Ken Zikhale Ng’oma has revealed that the funds account for over seventy permit requests that are now gathering dust pending approval.

The minister feels that maximizing collection of permits is a sure way to bolster Malawi’s economy.

To date, according to Zikhale, close to eighty requests are pending approval of his ministry.

“Seventy or eighty permits have never been approved, its costing is around two billion Malawi kwacha which could have gone in government coffers and they could have used it but somebody was seating on them,” said Ng’oma.

He adds by saying that his ministry has instructed those responsible for the permit approvals to expedite the process.

Commenting on the revelation, an economic expert, Gilbert Kachamba told Zodiak Online, the conduct shows that some officers are sleeping on their job as foreign nationals are still operating business in the absence of the permits.

“We talk about globalization, we talk about integration but Malawi is not willing to participate fully in the global village that why we are in this situation,” he added.

Foreign nationals are subjected to payment of 10,000 US dollars for a permanent residence permit, 7500 US Dollars for a business residence permit renewable every five years while 2500 US dollars is attached to work permits renewable every two years.