Liberia govt agencies agree on framework for refugee biometric ID

The Liberian government has laid the groundwork for the issuance of residence permits to forcibly displaced persons from Cote d’Ivoire as well as to all other refugees who have found Liberia as their second home.

To ensure the attainment of this objective, a tripartite meeting was recently held by the Liberia Refugee Repatriation & Resettlement Commission (LRRRC), the National Identification Registry (NIR), and the Liberia Immigration Services (LIS).

An LRRRC statement highlighted the commitment of the parties to work for the effective implementation of the plan which aligns with Executive Orders 144 and 147 signed by President Joseph Boakai early last year. In these executive orders, the president mandated identity registration as part of a strategy to expand legal identity to all citizens, and facilitate access to public and private sector services.

To effectively ensure the execution of the plan, the three parties also agreed to put in place a technical team.

Following up on the tripartite meeting, the concerned parties recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to concretize the move.

In announcement, the LRRRC said the MoU requires it to identify, screen, and validate the list of integrated Ivorian refugees and shall recognize other refugees eligible under Executive Order No. 144; confirm voluntary consent for integration and document individual case profiles, and then provide certified beneficiary lists and supporting documentation to the LIS and NIR for the issuance of identity documents.

For the NIR, the MoU warrants it to enroll eligible beneficiaries into the national Biometric Identification System (NBIS) by registering their biographical and biometric data, and process and issue specialized biometric Refugee Identification cards indicating their reintegration status.

Commenting on the importance of the agreement, the Executive Director of the LRRRC, Jeror Cole Bangalu, said: “This signing ceremony symbolizes more than an administrative cooperation; it reflects Liberia’s enduring commitment to humanitarian protection, regional solidarity, and responsible migration governance.”

LIS Commissioner General, Elijah Rufus, said they were committed to ensuring that the documentation process for those identified “is smooth, secure, and effective.”

Liberia’s national identity system is an important component of the Governance Reform Accountability Transformation (GREAT) project which the government launched in March last year. The project is funded by a loan from the Wold Bank.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  Côte d’Ivoire  |  digital identity  |  identity document  |  identity management  |  legal identity  |  Liberia  |  National Identification Registry (NIR)  |  refugee registration