NATIONAL NEWS
MONROVIA – The National Identification Registry (NIR) says Liberia is preparing for a nationwide rollout of its biometric national identification system, with plans to enroll millions of Liberians once a proposed US$54.7 million concession agreement is ratified by the National Legislature.
By: Trokon S. Wrepue – trokon1992seokin@gmail.com
Speaking during a special interview, NIR Executive Director Andrew Peters said the proposed concession is intended to provide the financial and technological infrastructure needed to register the country’s population and establish a national identity system capable of connecting government institutions and strengthening the verification of citizens.
Peters said the Registry is currently mapping potential enrollment locations and plans to establish an initial network of fewer than 538 centers across Liberia.
The NIR boss said the objective, once the concession agreement is ratified, is to enroll the entire population within approximately one year. He added that the start of the mass enrollment could come by the end of October or during November, depending on when the Legislature completes ratification.
According to Peters, the US$54.7 million arrangement is expected to cover the infrastructure required for the nationwide enrollment exercise, including free registration for disadvantaged Liberians.
He said the government intends to distinguish between working Liberians, who would pay for the service, and unemployed or disadvantaged citizens, who would receive their national identification cards without payment.
NIR Says it is More Than an ID Card Issuer
Peters stressed that the National Identification Registry should not be viewed simply as an institution that issues physical identification cards.
He described the NIR as the country’s central biometric identity database, established by law to uniquely identify individuals before they access various public and private services.
The NIR Executive said the national ID system is intended to become an important foundation for digital government services, allowing institutions such as the Liberia Revenue Authority and the Business Registry to verify a person’s identity electronically rather than repeatedly collecting basic personal information.
Peters explained that through application programming interfaces and electronic know-your-customer, or e-KYC, systems, government agencies would be able to verify a person’s identity through the Registry.
For example, he said, someone seeking business registration could provide a national identification number, allowing the relevant institution to retrieve verified information from the NIR’s electronic verification platform rather than separately asking the individual for details such as their name and age.
He said the same principle could eventually apply across government and other service sectors, including financial institutions, hospitals, utilities and other transactional platforms.
According to Peters, the objective is to create a system in which a person’s identity can be verified across institutions while maintaining a centralized and protected national database.
Proposed Concession Faces Public Scrutiny
The proposed concession has generated criticism, with some questioning whether Liberia’s national identity infrastructure could expose citizens’ personal information to foreign investors.
Peters rejected that concern, saying the arrangement is structured as a public-private partnership in which the private investor would finance and build the required infrastructure while the NIR would remain responsible for registration and custody of the country’s identity data.
He said the data would remain in Liberia and pointed to the Registry’s existing system as an example.
Peters said the current system was built by a private technology company but that the country’s data remains under the control of the Registry rather than the technology provider.
He also said laws governing public-private partnerships and data protection would regulate the relationship between the Liberian government and the investor.
The concessionaire identified by Peters is OSD of Austria, which he said has extensive experience in the identity-management sector.
Peters said the company is celebrating 222 years in Austria this year and that the proposed partnership would allow Liberia to attract private investment for an infrastructure project that would otherwise require significant government financing.
He argued that Liberia’s proposed investment is comparatively smaller than the amounts spent by some other countries to establish national identity infrastructure.
Peters cited Ghana as having mobilized more than US$300 million for its national identification infrastructure, while he said Ethiopia’s identity infrastructure has been estimated at more than US$350 million.
Liberia’s proposed US$54.7 million concession, he argued, reflects the country’s smaller population and the need to establish a system that can support future growth.
Registry Targets Complete Population Enrollment
Peters said the proposed system would initially have the capacity to handle about 10 million people, providing room for Liberia’s population to grow beyond its current level.
He said the Registry’s long-term objective is not only to enroll citizens but also to continuously provide updated population information to relevant government institutions.
He cited the National Elections Commission as one institution that could benefit from the system.
Peters argued that the national identification database could help identify citizens who reach voting age between general elections, potentially providing more up-to-date information for electoral planning and by-elections.
He said the Registry could provide verified information showing how many citizens have reached voting age during a particular period, which could assist electoral authorities in identifying newly eligible voters.
However, Peters emphasized that the physical national ID card itself is only one component of the broader system.
According to him, the more important asset is the database and infrastructure behind the card.
Card Expiration Does Not Mean Citizenship Expires
Peters also addressed questions surrounding the expiration date printed on national identification cards.
He said the expiration of the physical card does not mean that a person’s citizenship expires.
Instead, he explained that the expiration period is intended to ensure that citizens periodically update information that may change over time, including their physical appearance, marital status or name.
Peters said the Registry is considering extending the current seven-year card validity period toward 10 years under the new system.
He said citizens who experience major changes to their personal information would also be required to update their records and provide supporting documentation.
For instance, he said a person who changes their name after marriage would need to provide a marriage certificate and comply with the relevant publication and verification requirements.
Where another person contests a claimed change, Peters said the Registry could suspend the process and conduct an investigation before making changes to the individual’s record.
NIR Warns Against Fragmented Identity Systems
Peters used the interview to argue that Liberia needs one central identity system rather than separate identification databases operated independently by different government institutions.
He said allowing multiple institutions to maintain disconnected identity systems could undermine the country’s ability to trace individuals and prevent fraud.
He specifically linked the need for unique identification to challenges in Liberia’s financial sector.
According to Peters, individuals could potentially approach different financial institutions using different names or documentation associated with the same assets, making it difficult for banks to identify the full extent of a person’s financial obligations.
He said a unique national identity would allow institutions to establish that different accounts or transactions belong to the same individual.
Peters therefore described the Registry as a “gatekeeper” for identity verification across the country, while emphasizing that its role extends beyond the production and distribution of physical cards.
Registry Prepares for Border and Migration Documentation
Beyond the national ID rollout, Peters disclosed that the NIR is preparing to conduct documentation activities in parts of Liberia’s border and southeastern regions.
He said teams are expected to move toward Lofa County and areas around the Soloban border, while additional work is planned in the southeast.
Peters said the Registry is also working with the Liberia Immigration Service and other relevant authorities to document people described by authorities as undocumented Burkinabe migrants living and farming in Liberia.
He cited an estimate of about 144,000 people and said the exercise is intended to establish a clearer record of people residing in the country.
Peters said some of the migrants have established families with Liberians and have children in Liberia, making documentation important for population management, national security and electoral integrity.
He said the President has directed the Registry to work with immigration authorities in Nimba, Grand Gedeh, River Gee and Maryland counties, with the aim of completing the documentation exercise within approximately two months.
New NIR Headquarters Designed Around Security
Peters also explained the Registry’s recent relocation to new headquarters on Thomas Boulevard, adjacent to the German Embassy in Monrovia.
He said the former facility was too small and did not adequately reflect the security requirements of an institution responsible for managing sensitive personal and biometric information.
The new facility, he said, has separate areas for technical personnel, administration, human resources and enrollment operations, with additional security measures including biometric access doors.
Peters said the relocation was part of management’s effort to establish an environment suitable for handling the country’s identity information.
National ID Day to Highlight Importance of Unique Identity
The NIR is also preparing to mark National ID Day, an event Peters said would be used to educate Liberians about the importance of legal identity.
He referenced Sustainable Development Goal 16.9, which calls for legal identity for all, including birth registration, by 2030.
Peters said the event would include speeches, demonstrations of the Registry’s enrollment capacity and enrollment activities around the Paynesville Town Hall.
He said the Registry is also considering outreach to correctional facilities, depending on available resources.
He maintained that the activities would be conducted free of charge as part of efforts to demonstrate the importance of national identification.
Peters Urges Public to Scrutinize the System Beyond the Card
As Liberia awaits legislative action on the proposed concession, Peters urged citizens to examine the broader national identity system rather than focusing solely on the physical card and its cost.
He said establishing a modern identity infrastructure requires significant investment and warned against comparing the cost of a national ID card with the cost of the entire system that produces, stores, verifies and protects the information behind it.
Peters said the government’s financial commitment to the Registry includes compensating the institution and its employees, while the proposed concession would provide the investment needed to build and expand the infrastructure.
He also emphasized that the protection of citizens’ personal information must remain central to the system.
According to Peters, Liberians provide sensitive information to the Registry with the expectation that it will remain confidential. He said data protection therefore requires trained professionals and centralized safeguards to prevent personal information from being exposed.
With legislative ratification still required, the NIR says preparations are already underway, including nationwide mapping and identification of enrollment centers. Peters said the Registry is ready to move into mass enrollment once the concession agreement receives legislative approval, with the stated target of registering Liberia’s population within one year.
