The Liberian government through the National Identification Registry has extended the deadline for the compulsory registration of national Identification Cards by 76 days, shifting the final date to August 31. The move follows a chaotic nationwide rollout that saw long queues, technical bottlenecks, and limited communication, sparking outrage from both citizens and foreign residents.
The National Identification Registry (NIR) announced the extension during a press conference on Tuesday, following an investigative article by FrontPage Africa and New Narratives that highlighted the severe dysfunctions in the process and how they were denying people access to essential services.
“We have listened to all of the excuses from Liberians that they are caught unaware,” said Andrew Peters, Executive Director of the NIR. “We are giving you a time frame of two months, 15 days, where mass deployment will take place.”
The national ID system is considered a cornerstone for governance, security, and development in Liberia. President Joseph Boakai’s April 14 mandate tied the card to access critical services including banking, SIM card registration, and voter verification. Before the mandate, only 14% of Liberians had registered for an ID.
Digital Access with Physical Verification
To ease the burden on overwhelmed registration centers, the Registry says it will roll out an online portal next week to allow applicants to initiate the process from anywhere. However, Peters clarified that online applications will not eliminate the need for in-person verification.
“When you fill in the form, that’s not the registration, you will physically appear to defend the information,” Peters told reporters. “You’ve got to appear so you can do your biometric.”
To meet the demand, Peters announced a massive scale-up: the number of enrollment centers in Montserrado County will jump from 14 to 164, supported by the deployment of 500 new biometric kits. Across Liberia’s 15 counties, 3,000 temporary jobs will be created to support the process.
Mixed Reactions from the Public
The extension has been met with cautious optimism on the ground. While many welcomed the additional time and technological improvements, some expressed skepticism about implementation.
Oscar Koung, a Liberian citizen, praised the digital option but voiced concern for vulnerable groups.
“Some of them don’t know how to speak English,” Koung said. “The online registration is good, but only for people who can read and write.”
Others like Yekehson Roosevelt Nelson said the structural problems run deeper. At the Congo Town registry office, Nelson admitted paying L$1,500 to someone to secure a place in line.
“As you can see, it’s not better,” Nelson said. “They need to improve it.”
Civil Society: A Step Forward, But Watch Closely
Civil society actors have long criticized the lack of public education and transparency around the ID program. Harold Aidoo, Executive Director of Integrity Watch Liberia, commended the government’s responsiveness but warned that the expanded rollout risks spreading mismanagement.
“The moment you begin to decentralize, you decentralize not just the good, but you also decentralize the rot,” Aidoo said. “There needs to be stringent monitoring.”
Future Link to Elections and Governance
Looking ahead, Peters confirmed that the Registry will soon sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Elections Commission (NEC) to link the ID system directly to voter verification.
“At the 2023 elections, you saw what happened,” he said, referencing allegations of vote-buying and residency fraud. “This process will stop that.”
Liberia aims to emulate countries like Ghana, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone, which have successfully integrated ID systems into electoral management, with Sierra Leone reportedly achieving 95% national coverage.
But as the new deadline approaches, questions remain: Can Liberia implement the promised changes and restore public trust, or will digital solutions fall prey to old inefficiencies?
The coming weeks will be a critical test of the Boakai administration’s ability to modernize public infrastructure without leaving its most vulnerable citizens behind.
