Liberia’s electoral commission seeks biometric voter registration help from Nigeria

Liberia’s government is asking Nigeria for assistance as it stands up biometric voter registration, Nigerian outlet Punch writes, with National Electoral Commission (NEC) of Liberia Chairperson Davidetta Browne-Lansanah making the request during a tour of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) facilities in Abuja.

Browne-Lansanah made the visit to INEC headquarters to learn more about how to integrate biometric technology into Liberia’s voter registration process and deal with the technology’s potentially high cost.

A pair of Liberian Senate Committees pointed to the cost of the NEC’s proposed biometric voter registration system as a barrier to its adoption, and urged the commission to seek help from international partners.

“We will be interested in hearing from you on what kind of assistance you may render to the commission as we move forward to expertise in the adaptation process in the voter registration process,” Browne-Lansanah said, according to Punch. “We also congratulate you for the introduction of an online portal which buttresses physical voter registration in Nigeria.”

INEC Chairman Professor Mahmood Yakubu pledged the commission’s support for Liberia’s efforts, and explained Nigeria’s increasing efforts to shift from manual processes to digital ones to improve the transparency and credibility of elections. On two occasions in the last three years, Yakubu says, INEC technical staff have worked with Liberia’s NEC on voter registration.

The NEC and Liberia’s National Identification Registry (NIR) have also argued about which organization is better positioned to carry out the biometric voter registration project.

Article Topics

Africa  |  biometrics  |  digital identity  |  identity management  |  identity verification  |  Liberia  |  Nigeria  |  voter registration