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Monrovia – The National Identification Registry (NIR) is accelerating Liberia’s digital transformation through strategic partnerships and expanding enrollment efforts aimed at creating a more transparent and accountable public service.
By Willie Tokpah, [email protected]
At a press briefing on March 10, Daniel Sloh Sargbe, head of Media Relations at NIR, highlighted the agency’s achievements and its pivotal role in digitizing the country’s public services. He discussed the NIR’s partnerships with government agencies and international organizations such as UNICEF, focusing on providing every Liberian, from children to the elderly, with verified identities.
Sargbe emphasized that the NIR’s work goes beyond issuing ID cards — it is laying the groundwork for Liberia’s digital economy by improving public service delivery and fostering greater transparency.
“We are not just enrolling people into a system; we are creating a foundation for the future of Liberia’s digital economy,” Sargbe said, reinforcing the agency’s role in national development.
A key milestone in the NIR’s progress is its collaboration with the Civil Service Agency (CSA), formalized through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed in May 2024. This agreement allows the CSA to use the NIR’s e-verification portal to integrate National Identification Numbers (NINs) into government employees’ ID cards, enhancing service delivery and ensuring more accurate government payrolls.
“The partnership with CSA has already helped remove ghost names from the payroll and improved ID card renewals for government employees,” Sargbe explained. “This step increases accountability and fosters transparency in government operations.”
The NIR also formed a major partnership with the Liberia Telecommunication Authority (LTA) through an MOU signed on October 8, 2024. This agreement mandates the use of NIR-issued ID cards for SIM card registration, a move aimed at improving security and curbing identity theft in Liberia’s telecommunications sector.
“This initiative is essential for the country’s digital transformation and the integration of ICT systems to improve public services,” Sargbe stated.
The NIR’s collaboration with UNICEF also stands out as a significant effort in expanding enrollment in the National Biometric Identification System (NBIS). A pilot project launched in September 2023 focuses on enrolling children under the age of five, a group previously excluded due to challenges with fingerprint capture.
The initiative, which has successfully enrolled 5,000 children in Montserrado County, is now expanding to other counties, including Grand Bassa and Gbarpolu.
“This project ensures that no child is left behind in Liberia’s identification system and gives every child the opportunity to have a recognized identity from birth,” Sargbe said.
The NIR has partnered with the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection (MGCSP) to support the enrollment of 16,000 beneficiaries under the REALISE project, aimed at strengthening social protection systems. Enrollment efforts have begun in Grand Kru, Margibi, and Montserrado counties.
The NIR has also collaborated with the Liberia Immigration Service (LIS) to streamline the enrollment process for individuals seeking recruitment, making it a prerequisite for joining the service.
As of December 2024, the NIR has enrolled 740,000 individuals, with a demographic breakdown of 59% male and 41% female. The majority of enrollees (68%) are aged 31-64, while 25% are between 0-30 years, and 7% are 65 or older.
To address the growing demand, the NIR has introduced an expedited enrollment process to provide quicker service delivery, especially for urgent cases.
Sargbe also mentioned the NIR’s involvement in the World Bank’s Governance Reformed and Accountability Transformation (GREAT) project, which will provide additional funding for the expansion of the NBIS. The project aims to increase access to digital public services, enhance tax revenues, and improve transparency within government institutions.
“We are committed to continuing our role in Liberia’s digital transformation,” Sargbe concluded. “Through these partnerships and initiatives, we aim to create a more transparent, accountable, and efficient system for all Liberians.”