… As Liberia Celebrates Identification Day
Monrovia: The National Identification Registry (NIR), is rallying financial support from the government of Liberia and development partners to finance the budget of a National Roadmap designed to enroll all citizens and foreign residents into the National biometric system of Liberia.
The Executive Director of NIR, Andrew Peters said they hope that the NIR will get all the support from the government to finance the National Roadmap budget.
He made these statements on Monday, September 16, 2024, at the occasion marking the celebration of the National Identity Day held in Monrovia. The National Identification Day was held under the theme: “Celebrating the Right To Be Visible”.
Mr. Peter indicated that the National Roadmap is a framework document that is designed to enroll all citizens thereby giving them the right to be visible. According to him, the estimated budget of the Roadmap is US$36 million.
The NIR boss in a welcome statement at the occasion also stated that the essence of Global ID Day is to raise worldwide awareness about the importance of unique identity and to bring to international attention, the plight of millions of people who do not have a legal identity and do not belong to any country legally because of several reasons some legal, political and social.
He emphasized that people have the right to be seen and recognized that they exist to get included, and involved and their voices can be heard in issues and decisions that concern them. He added that it is a fundamental right that is what the United Nations set 2030 as the target date for everyone to legally belong to a place that they can call their own.
“As we witness and participate in this defining moment of our nation joining other nations around the world to celebrate Identity Day, I wish to briefly shed with you some of the important benefits of having a secure National Biometric Identification System,” he mentioned.
He continued that efficient public service delivery, enhanced security and law enforcement, financial inclusion, access to social benefits, E-Government Services, improved electoral process, and national planning and development are all important benefits of having a secure National Biometric Identification System (NBIS).
“The NBIS promotes efficiency, security, and inclusion benefiting both individuals and the nation as a whole. It is therefore my hope that the NIR will get all the support from the government of Liberia and our development partners to finance the National Roadmap, a framework document designed to enroll all citizens and foreign residents into our National Biometric system thereby giving them the right to be visible,” he noted.
This year’s celebration of Global ID Day was organized by NIR and sponsored by UNICEF, National Port Authority (NPA), Liberia Telecommunications Authority (LTA), NASSCORP, and LPRC among others.
