Madonna and her director husband Guy Ritchie arrived in the southern African country last Wednesday and have met local orphans and government ministers during their time there.

Rumours first surfaced last week that the couple were hoping to find a sibling for the singer's daughter Lourdes and their son Rocco, and, yesterday, newspapers in Britain claimed the Material Girl has adopted a 13-month-old boy named David Banda, whose mother Marita died shortly after his birth.

Kingston Kilembe, the Malawian government's director of child welfare services, insists Madonna and Ritchie filed papers for his adoption earlier today.

The couple completed the procedure before a high court judge in Lilongwe.

No official statement has been released by the singer but a London-based spokeswoman for Madonna reveals, "We may have an official statement within 48 hours."