Published: March 10, 2025
MONROVIA – In a tep toward modernizing Liberia’s identity management system, the National Identification Registry (NIR) has unveiled a series of transformative initiatives aimed at strengthening public sector efficiency, enhancing security in telecommunications, and expanding social protection programs. Under the leadership of Executive Director Andrew Peters, the NIR has sealed crucial memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with key government institutions and international partners to improve service delivery and citizen enrollment.
Forging Partnerships for Public Sector Efficiency
During a media briefing on Monday, March 10, 2025, at the NIR’s headquarters in Monrovia, the Director of Media Relations, Daniel Sloh Sargbe, announced the agency’s latest partnerships. He revealed that formal MoUs had been signed with the Civil Service Agency (CSA) and the Liberia Telecommunications Authority (LTA) to enhance collaboration and optimize service delivery.
The MoU with the CSA is designed to integrate National Identification Numbers (NINs) into government-issued employee ID cards, granting the CSA access to NIR’s e-verification portal. This initiative has played a crucial role in eliminating ghost names from the government payroll, facilitating the seamless enrollment of new employees, and renewing expired national ID cards.
Strengthening SIM Card Registration
In a move to bolster national security and combat identity fraud, the NIR signed a groundbreaking MoU with the LTA on October 8, 2024, extending until December 31, 2026. This agreement mandates the use of NIR-issued national ID cards as the exclusive government-approved identification for SIM/RUIM card registration with mobile network operators in Liberia.
Sargbe emphasized that this measure will not only enhance the integrity of telecommunications services but also mitigate the risks associated with identity theft and fraudulent SIM card registrations.
UNICEF Partnership: Enrolling Children into the NBIS
Beyond government collaborations, the NIR has launched a pilot project with UNICEF to register 5,000 children into the National Biometric Identification System (NBIS) at no cost to parents. The initiative is particularly beneficial for mothers unable to afford enrollment fees, ensuring broader access to official identification. Having completed enrollments in Montserrado County, the project has now expanded to Grand Bassa and Gbarpolu Counties.
Empowering Social Protection and Employment Programs
Another strategic MoU, signed on September 26, 2024, with the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection (MoGCSP), aims to enroll and issue national ID cards to approximately 16,000 beneficiaries under the Recovery of Economic Activity for Liberia’s Informal Sector Employment (REALISE) project. This agreement provides the framework for integrating ID services into social cash transfers and broader social protection programs. Enrollment under this initiative has already begun in Grand Kru, Margibi, and Montserrado Counties.
Collaboration with LIS and the Ministry of Health
The NIR is also working closely with the Liberia Immigration Service (LIS) to enroll Liberians seeking recruitment into the LIS. Additionally, through UNICEF support, the agency is partnering with the Ministry of Health to integrate identification and health services via an Application Programming Interface (API).
World Bank Support and Future Expansion
Under the Governance Reform and Accountability Transformation (GREAT) project, funded by the World Bank, the NIR has been selected as a beneficiary to expand access to digital public services, improve tax revenue collection, and enhance institutional transparency. According to Sargbe, this funding will significantly boost enrollment efforts for the National Biometric Identification System.
Nationwide Enrollment Progress
Providing updates on national enrollment, Sargbe disclosed that the NIR operates 30 permanent enrollment centers across Liberia’s 15 counties. As of December 2024, the NBIS had registered 740,000 individuals, with Montserrado County accounting for over half of all enrollments. The demographic breakdown includes 436,600 males (59%) and 303,400 females (41%).
Call for Greater Collaboration
Encouraging other government ministries and agencies to follow the example of those already working with the NIR, Sargbe stressed the agency’s role in advancing the government’s ARREST agenda through comprehensive national identification enrollment.
To meet growing demand, the NIR has introduced an expedited service option, ensuring faster processing times for applicants in urgent need of identification services.
“The decision was made in response to public demand for a more efficient enrollment process,” Sargbe explained, reaffirming the NIR’s commitment to streamlining identity management and enhancing public service delivery.
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