Liberia launches digital public infrastructure project with $30M World Bank funding

The government of Liberia has flagged off a digital transformation project that seeks to expand its digital ID coverage and build important digital public infrastructure for the country.

The Ministry of Finance and Development Planning launched the Governance Reform Accountability Transformation (GREAT) project on March 20 in Monrovia, with an explanation that the move is to streamline access to many government and private sector services, The Liberian Investigator reports.

Funded by the World Bank’s ID Credit Program to the tune of $30 million in commitment funding, the GREAT project seeks to facilitate the enrollment of at least two million Liberians for the national digital ID through the National Identification Registry (NIR). It is reported that the project will receive an additional $13 million for the improvement of digital infrastructure.

The Ministry of Finance and Development Planning will over the project, in collaboration with a Project Implementation Team.

According to Liberian officials, the project, which will run for the next five years – to November 2030 – also seeks to build a digital government ecosystem that will streamline public service delivery and administrative processes, beginning with nine major government institutions which include the civil service, taxation and revenue services, the NIR, as well as the Ministers of Education, Health, Finance, and Trade.

Finance Minister, Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan, is quoted as saying at the launch of the project that it has four key pillars, which include enhancing access to public services, improving tax revenue by curbing corrupt practices, strengthening accountability in the public administration, and ensuring capacity building for the project’s sustainability.

Speaking at the launch of the project, the Acting World Bank Country representative for Liberia, Oyewole Afuye, also highlighted its importance, noting the “sustained effort, strong ownership, and collaboration from the Government of Liberia that facilitated the preparation of the project and contributed to getting it off to a strong start.”

Like the finance minister, Afuye also stated that the project aims to address major governance, revenue mobilization and accountability challenges plaguing the Liberian government, and urged collective support for the initiative, underscoring the fact that “these interconnected challenges must be addressed simultaneously.”

Some major stakeholders have already praised the initiative which the government says aligns with the country’s 2025-2029 agenda for inclusive development.

NIR Executive Directive, Andrew Peters, said their plan is to significantly expand national ID enrollment under the project, given that ID uptake has faced major underperformances in the past.

He also noted measures such as the setting up of additional enrollment teams in the counties to enable the NIR reach out to citizens right at the clan and chiefdom levels.

Liberia believes the national ID is central to its efforts of enhancing digital economy growth, digital inclusion and streamlined access to services for its citizens.

Article Topics

Africa  |  digital economy  |  digital ID  |  digital public infrastructure  |  government services  |  Liberia  |  World Bank