Addressing the media in Lilongwe, Homeland Security minister Ken Zikhale Ng'oma said people behind the hacking are demanding K2 billion from government but they will not pay the ransom as they are already working on the problem.

Ng'oma asked Malawians to exercise patience as the 90 percent of work to restore the system has so far been done.

"We understand the challenges people are facing following the hacking of the system and the technical team is now at advanced stage to rectify the problem," Ng'oma added.

Immigration Department director general Brigadier General Charles Kalumo (retired) acknowledged that this is a national crisis and they are actively addressing the issue.

"We are optimistic that with efforts in place the 10 percent remaining work will be completed in the targeted three weeks," Kalumo said.

The passport production challenges began in 2021 after the government terminated its contract with Techno Brain for alleged poor handling of the contract by the previous administration.