Liberia Embarks On National Biometric ID Project

The Government of Liberia, via the National Identification Registry (NIR), is preparing to initiate a comprehensive mass-enrollment program for both citizens and foreign residents into its national biometric identification system.

The announcement was made with the support of the Ministry of State for Presidential Affairs, with an enrollment roadmap launched this week. The registration program aims to include extensive biometric data that will support various government institutions, including the National Elections Commission.

It’s part of the government’s efforts to enhance the NIR’s capacity to securely collect and manage personal identification data, which is essential for various services and maintaining a secure environment, according to an NIR spokesperson.

“As a result of the roadmap, we hope to have an enhanced national biometric identification system, which feeds all data, as well as the sustainability of [the] safe environment, proper access to services, and the welfare of citizens,” he said.

Whatever the merits of the new mass-enrollment plan, it may face skepticism after the country’s scandal-prone effort to set up a biometric voter registration system in recent years. That issue had revolved around the National Elections Commission’s procurement process, which provoked accusations of special treatment for a China-based vendor, and then further allegations of impropriety when that vendor was dropped for Laxton Group, a vendor that was accused of failing to meet essential requirements in its bid.

That having been said, a biometric voter registration system ultimately was implemented, and indeed used, in the country’s 2023 general elections, with Laxton and the biometrics specialist Neurotechnology delivering a system to enroll face and fingerprint biometrics. So even if some skepticism may remain about such ambitious biometric projects, it is clear that success can be achieved, and the Liberian government evidently remains enthusiastic about such technology.

Source: The New Dawn

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May 3, 2024 – by Alex Perala