Liberia: President Boakai Appoints Kofi Woods to Lead Biometric ID Rollout Committee, Sets April 2026 As New Deadline
Published: 9/Jul/2025
Source: Front Page Africa (Monrovia)
Monrovia – President Joseph Boakai has appointed his National Security Advisor, Samuel Kofi Woods, to chair a newly formed steering committee to oversee the implementation of the National Biometric Identification System (NBIS), with a revised rollout deadline of April 13, 2026.
By Augustus D.R. Bortu
According to a presidential memo dated July 5, 2025, the steering committee includes the Ministries of Internal Affairs, Foreign Affairs, and Post and Telecommunications; the Liberia Telecommunications Authority; the National Identification Registry (NIR); the Central Bank of Liberia (CBL); the National Elections Commission (NEC); the Senior Economic Advisor; and the President’s Delivery Unit.
The memo stated that the committee is tasked with the development and execution of the biometric ID system, which aims to enhance national security, improve access to government services, and support economic development through a secure and efficient identity verification platform. The system will feature biometric technology with offline verification capabilities.
The new leadership structure follows delays in the rollout of Executive Order No. 147, which President Boakai signed on April 14, 2025. The executive order made it mandatory for all Liberian citizens and foreign residents living in the country for 90 days or more to register for a biometric national ID or foreigner ID card.
These IDs are required to access services such as banking, telecommunications, healthcare, education, and immigration.
On June 16, 2025, the government extended the initial registration deadline from August 1 to August 31, 2025. National Identification Registry Executive Director Andrew Peters said the extension was in response to high turnout and processing delays.