Sierra Leone News: NEC inspects registration kit
Published: 1/Feb/2017
Source: Awoko (Freetown)
The National Civil registration Authority (NCRA), National Electoral Commission (NEC) and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, on Tuesday, paid a visit to the warehouse that hosts the national biometric registrations kits. The kits, according to the Director General of the NCRA, Foday Kamara, cost more than $14 million USD.
The kits, according to the Director General of the NCRA, Foday Kamara, cost more than $14 million USD. The 4,080,machines include cameras, finger print scanners, keyboards, solar panels and a role paper that will serve the registration centres.
Kamara said the registration process is going to be done in two phases. The first phase will be led by NEC for people 16-years and above. The second phase will be for those below 16-years and will be done by NCRA. He said children below 6-years will receive securitised birth certificates as 16 printers has already been donated by PLAN Sierra Leone.
The Chief Electoral Commissioner of NEC, Mohamed Nfa-Alie Conteh, said the two institutions, NCRS and NEC, have been collaborating for a very long time. “The collaboration has been really good but every institution has its own independent mandate, its role and responsibility. We are two State Institutions but we want to make sure we economise time and resources”.
He continued that, “for the voter registration process, NEC would have to take the lead in the area of voter registration aspect “which is just people of voting age that is those that are qualified to vote”.
Commissioner Conteh said, “We will also take fields that are related to elections, when we are done with that the NCRA will come in and take the other field”.