Non-Governmental Organizations Regulatory Authority (NGORA) has closed the window for submission of audit reports for NGO's for their 2024 operations with 63 percent compliance rate.

NGORA Registration and Reporting Manager, Thoko Chibwana, has disclosed this to Zodiak Online, saying the compliance rate is higher comparing with last year's 51 percent.

However, he reveals that the compliance figure may rise, saying currently 120 organizations are receiving assistance to address issues in their audit reports.

"In 2024, there were 971 organizations that were eligible to submit audit reports, but so far 615 have done so while 365 have failed to comply," he reveals.

"We will publish in newspapers names of both compliant and noncompliant NGO's, and we will share names of the non-compliant organizations to our stakeholders," Chibwana hints.

He mentions commercial banks and Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA), as some of the stakeholders, whose services will be unaccessible to the non-compliant NGO's.

Meanwhile, Centre for Social Accountability and Transparency (CSAT) Executive Director Willy Kambwandira, says the increased percentage in submission of audit reports indicates that the non-state actors are committed to accountability and transparency.

But, Kambwandira appeals to the regulatory body to be lenient to non-compliant organizations, arguing many of them are struggling financially due to aid cuts by some donors.

He argues, "what is important is NGORA to sit down with the organizations and come up with solutions to the problem, because we all know that even government is struggling to deliver services".

Malawi has a total of 1,240 NGO's, with 183 new registration in 2024 and 2025. Currently, 65 organizations are dormant.