Monrovia – President Joseph Boakai has appointed his Nationwide Safety Advisor, Samuel Kofi Woods, to chair a newly fashioned steering committee to supervise the implementation of the Nationwide Biometric Identification System (NBIS), with a revised rollout deadline of April 13, 2026.
By Augustus D.R. Bortu
In response to a presidential memo dated July 5, 2025, the steering committee contains the Ministries of Inner Affairs, Overseas Affairs, and Put up and Telecommunications; the Liberia Telecommunications Authority; the Nationwide Identification Registry (NIR); the Central Financial institution of Liberia (CBL); the Nationwide Elections Fee (NEC); the Senior Financial Advisor; and the President’s Supply Unit.
The memo acknowledged that the committee is tasked with the event and execution of the biometric ID system, which goals to boost nationwide safety, enhance entry to authorities providers, and assist financial improvement by means of a safe and environment friendly id verification platform. The system will characteristic biometric know-how with offline verification capabilities.
The brand new management construction follows delays within the rollout of Government Order No. 147, which President Boakai signed on April 14, 2025. The manager order made it obligatory for all Liberian residents and international residents residing within the nation for 90 days or extra to register for a biometric nationwide ID or foreigner ID card.
These IDs are required to entry providers reminiscent of banking, telecommunications, healthcare, training, and immigration.
On June 16, 2025, the federal government prolonged the preliminary registration deadline from August 1 to August 31, 2025. Nationwide Identification Registry Government Director Andrew Peters stated the extension was in response to excessive turnout and processing delays.
“The extension is to accommodate the massive variety of residents complying with the federal government’s mandate,” Peters stated. “We at the moment are recruiting younger Liberians as contractors to work throughout all 15 counties.”
Peters additionally introduced plans to open greater than 100 registration facilities nationwide and confirmed that an settlement is being finalized with the Nationwide Elections Fee to make use of voting precincts as enrollment websites.
“This collaboration ensures that through the election course of, NEC can use our information to confirm the existence or nonexistence of people,” he stated.
Following the delays, the Central Financial institution of Liberia instructed business banks to quickly settle for any legitimate type of identification, reasonably than completely requiring the brand new biometric playing cards, till the prolonged deadline.
Peters emphasised that the options of the ID playing cards had been secondary to the accuracy and reliability of the information they include. “The options of the playing cards usually are not what issues most—it’s the verifiable and genuine info the cardboard accommodates,” he stated.
Addressing studies of fraudulent playing cards, Peters warned the general public that duplicated playing cards issued outdoors official channels wouldn’t be legitimate. “These people concerned are losing their time,” he stated. “These duplicated playing cards can’t be used wherever for transactions.”
To strengthen system integrity, the NIR is deploying safe APIs that permit licensed establishments to confirm information in actual time by means of a nationwide e-verification platform. Peters stated monetary establishments at the moment are totally built-in with the Know Your Buyer (KYC) verification system.
The federal government’s long-term plan contains increasing the nationwide registry to cowl all international nationals residing in Liberia by 2028. Peters famous that people from nations reminiscent of Ghana and america can be included.
“You want him [President Boakai] to interrupt it down into their ages—this president will do it,” he stated.
President Boakai’s biometric ID initiative is a part of a digital transformation marketing campaign launched in Could 2024. This system is managed below the Nationwide Identification Registry Act of 2011 and is topic to Liberia’s information safety and privateness legal guidelines.
All authorities ministries, businesses, commissions, and personal sector establishments are directed to implement compliance with Government Order No. 147. Oversight is being coordinated by the Ministry of Finance and Growth Planning and the Liberia Income Authority, with the NIR serving because the lead implementing physique.
With the appointment of the steering committee and the brand new April 2026 goal, the federal government is looking for to deal with earlier logistical points and make sure the full implementation of the biometric ID system.
