Africa-Press – Liberia. The memo stated that the committee is tasked with the development and execution of the biometric ID system, which aims to enhance national security and improve access to government services.
President Joseph Boakai has appointed his National Security Advisor, Samuel Kofi Woods, to chair a newly formed steering committee to oversee the implementation of the National Biometric Identification System (NBIS), with a revised rollout deadline of April 13, 2026.
According to a presidential memo dated July 5, 2025, the steering committee includes the Ministries of Internal Affairs, Foreign Affairs, and Post and Telecommunications; the Liberia Telecommunications Authority; the National Identification Registry (NIR); the Central Bank of Liberia (CBL); the National Elections Commission (NEC); the Senior Economic Advisor; and the President’s Delivery Unit.
The memo stated that the committee is tasked with the development and execution of the biometric ID system, which aims to enhance national security, improve access to government services, and support economic development through a secure and efficient identity verification platform. The system will feature biometric technology with offline verification capabilities.
The new leadership structure follows delays in the rollout of Executive Order No. 147, which President Boakai signed on April 14, 2025. The executive order made it mandatory for all Liberian citizens and foreign residents living in the country for 90 days or more to register for a biometric national ID or foreigner ID card.
These IDs are required to access services such as banking, telecommunications, healthcare, education, and immigration.
On June 16, 2025, the government extended the initial registration deadline from August 1 to August 31, 2025. National Identification Registry Executive Director Andrew Peters said the extension was in response to high turnout and processing delays.
“The extension is to accommodate the large number of citizens complying with the government’s mandate,” Peters said. “We are now recruiting young Liberians as contractors to work across all 15 counties.”
Peters also announced plans to open more than 100 registration centers nationwide and confirmed that an agreement is being finalized with the National Elections Commission to use voting precincts as enrollment sites.
“This collaboration ensures that during the election process, NEC can use our data to verify the existence or nonexistence of individuals,” he said.
Following the delays, the Central Bank of Liberia instructed commercial banks to temporarily accept any valid form of identification, rather than exclusively requiring the new biometric cards, until the extended deadline.
Peters emphasized that the features of the ID cards were secondary to the accuracy and reliability of the data they contain. “The features of the cards are not what matters most—it’s the verifiable and authentic information the card contains,” he said.
Addressing reports of fraudulent cards, Peters warned the public that duplicated cards issued outside official channels would not be valid. “Those individuals involved are wasting their time,” he said. “Those duplicated cards cannot be used anywhere for transactions.”
To strengthen system integrity, the NIR is deploying secure APIs that allow authorized institutions to verify data in real time through a national e-verification platform. Peters said financial institutions are now fully integrated with the Know Your Customer (KYC) verification system.
The government’s long-term plan includes expanding the national registry to cover all foreign nationals residing in Liberia by 2028. Peters noted that individuals from countries such as Ghana and the United States would be included.
“You will want him [President Boakai] to break it down into their ages—this president will do it,” he said.
President Boakai’s biometric ID initiative is part of a digital transformation campaign launched in May 2024. The program is managed under the National Identification Registry Act of 2011 and is subject to Liberia’s data protection and privacy laws.
All government ministries, agencies, commissions, and private sector institutions are directed to enforce compliance with Executive Order No. 147. Oversight is being coordinated by the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning and the Liberia Revenue Authority, with the NIR serving as the lead implementing body.
With the appointment of the steering committee and the new April 2026 target, the government is seeking to address previous logistical issues and ensure the full implementation of the biometric ID system.
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