Sierra Leone reaches 93 percent national ID coverage, 80 percent services digitized

Sierra Leone says it has recorded a 93 percent civil registration and national ID issuance coverage rate, with at least 80 percent of services already digitized.

An official of the country’s National Civil Registration Authority (NCRA) disclosed these statistics in an interview with Biometric Update on the sidelines of the ID4Africa 2025 AGM recently.

The NCRA Deputy Director of ICT, Moses T.F. Vibbie, spoke to us after making a presentation on the country’s civil registration progress during a panel discussion that examined birth registration advancements in Africa.

Vibbie said the high digital ID coverage and service digitization rates in Sierra Leone reflect the country’s steady drive towards a fully digital nation in the next few years.

“We are proud to say that we have achieved 93 percent ID registration coverage. We’ve also digitized many of our services. Previously, registration was done manually, and you know the challenges that come with manual systems. So, as a country, we were able to transition from a manual to a digital system. Now, over 80 percent of our services are digitized,” Vibbie explained.

Apart from digitizing services, Vibbie said the NCRA has also been working to digitize historic paper-based civil registration and ID records in order to ensure continuity and accuracy of data over time.

“We are also digitizing our paper-based records, linking about 30 percent of them to the current digital records of our system. Around 70 percent still needs to be completed, so we’re continuing efforts to finish that work,” he said.

Those efforts, he noted, also mean adding traction to ID issuance which is vital in accessing a wide range of services in the country.

ID coverage is good, interoperability is necessary

He adds that having a high ID coverage rate is important, but is it is also necessary to ensure system interoperability to make sure that government entities can interact seamlessly with each other.

“Interoperability is very important for us as a country. It’s not just about having good ID coverage; it’s about creating demand for the services and ensuring everyone is included. We’ve made our ID system accessible to other institutions for their service delivery. For example, you can’t open a bank account or enrol in public educational institutions without a national ID number (NIN),” Vibbie stated.

“The NIN is also required for employment in both the public and private sectors. So, we’ve ensured that access to our services and civil registration data is available to other institutions within the bounds of data protection, privacy, and consent mechanisms. This way, citizens can access services more easily,” he mentioned.

All of the strides so far achieved by the NCRA would not be possible if there were no strong political will, the NCRA deputy ICT chief said. Added to this are intentional reforms which have been carried out to make things easier and ensure the system is functioning more seamlessly.

“Without support from the highest office of the land, which is the presidency, we wouldn’t be able to succeed. Fortunately, we have that political buy-in and support, which is why we’ve been able to reach a coverage rate of 93 percent,” Vibbie asserted.

‘ID4Africa helps us improve our system’

The NCRA is a regular participant at ID4Africa AGMs, and Vibbie says each participation takes the ID authority’s digital ID implementation experience a notch high.

“it’s hard to describe the importance of attending ID4Africa. First, it gives us a platform to showcase what we’ve accomplished. It also allows us to learn from what other countries are doing, so that when we return home, we can adopt new practices and keep improving our system,” he notes.

“ID4Africa creates a kind of one-stop shop where we can connect with other experts such as from government, the private sector, and vendors working in identity, civil registration, and security, all of which align squarely with the work we are doing in Sierra Leone.”

Article Topics

Africa  |  civil registration  |  digital ID  |  digital identity  |  ID4Africa  |  ID4Africa 2025  |  National Civil Registration Authority (NCRA)  |  national ID  |  Sierra Leone