Liberia Initiates Biometric Enrollment for both Citizens & Foreigners

Liberia Initiates Biometric Enrollment for both Citizens & Foreigners.

Liberia is set to launch a nationwide campaign to enroll citizens and foreigners into the country’s national identification database, with the event scheduled for May 2 in the presence of President Joseph Boakai.

The National Identification Registry (NIR) announced the commencement of the exercise, to be conducted under the supervision of the Ministry of State for Presidential Affairs, as reported by The New Dawn.

During the registration process, both citizens and residents will undergo biometric data capture, with this information being entered into the central identification system. The data collected will be utilized by institutions such as the National Elections Commission.

Daniel Sloh Sargbe, the Director of Communication at NIR, emphasized the importance of the initiative, stating, “As a result of the roadmap, we hope to have an enhanced national biometric identification system, which feeds all data, as well as the sustainability of a safe environment, proper access to services, and the welfare of citizens.”

This mass biometric registration campaign follows President Boakai’s recent emphasis on the significance of the country’s identity system. He directed NIR to expand its capacity and ensure more ID cards are issued to citizens.

Notably, NIR had observed low uptake of the national ID and card renewal in the past year, with fewer than a million of the country’s five million citizens registered in the national ID database.

In a related development, the Liberian Supreme Court recently ruled against changes proposed to certain government institutions, including NIR. Agency heads, including Peter Andrews of the identity authority, had challenged President Boakai’s nominations of their replacements, arguing that due process was not followed, and the nominations were made before their mandates expired.