Government of Liberia somersaults on enforcement of NIR for all banking transactions
- Michael T
- Jun 24
- 2 min read
Liberia’s drive to create a more secure and inclusive system—bolstering national security, modernization, and the organization of its financial sector—was supposed to be straightforward. Under the plan, everyone would need a National Identification Card to access banking services and other official transactions. Most parts of the world have normalized this process, but, as ever, Liberia’s case is different. The country’s fragile and often corrupt system has repeatedly discouraged legitimate progress.
What looked simple on paper quickly proved far more complicated in practice. President Joseph Boakai’s Executive Order 147 mandated the use of the National ID Card for all official transactions, with a compliance deadline set for August 31, 2025. The policy was ambitious, aiming to modernize the financial system and align Liberia with global digital identity standards, backed by World Bank funding and government budgets. Yet only about 14–15% of Liberians managed to register, leaving the vast majority outside the formal system.
With little warning and even less explanation, the government has now pulled back. The Central Bank of Liberia (CBL) and the National Identification Registry (NIR) have instructed commercial banks to ease up on the ID requirement, at least for now. Simultaneously, the issuance of new National ID cards has been put on hold indefinitely.
The sudden reversal has left Liberians puzzled. Some are relieved to avoid the long lines, technical glitches, and outright corruption that plagued the rollout. Others see it as yet another sign of policy confusion—a government striving to modernize but stumbling as it goes. The $5 registration fee proved unaffordable for many, especially in a country where more than half the population lives below the poverty line. The World Bank’s suspension of $2 million in funding over unpaid government debts only deepened the crisis, stalling the expansion of enrollment centers and further limiting access.
It’s a familiar story for Liberia: big promises, ambitious plans, and then, when implementation gets tough, a sudden change of course. This time, however, the stakes are especially high. Financial inclusion is already a challenge in a country where most people still live outside the formal banking system. If the government can’t get this right, it risks not just another setback but a loss of public trust.
Some lawmakers and civil society groups have called for free IDs and a more inclusive approach, but so far, these demands remain unmet. Others believe this recent move on ID policy was a copy-and-paste job from Ghana and Nigeria, driven more by fundraising concerns than any real effort at reform.
“We need our own solutions, not just borrowed ideas,” says a local activist. “Otherwise, we’ll keep going in circles.”
For now, Liberians are left waiting for clarity, for progress, and for a government that can deliver on its promises.
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Additional Sources
https://liberianinvestigator.com/editorial/liberia-national-id-nir-crisis-editorial/
https://knewsonline.com/cbl-nir-suspend-mandatory-national-id-requirement-for-banking-transactions
https://liberianinvestigator.com/featured/house-turns-heat-on-national-id-chief-andrews-peter/
https://smartnewsliberia.com/liberian-banks-no-longer-require-national-id-card-says-cbl-and-nir/
https://documents.worldbank.org/en/publication/documents-reports/documentdetail/281811489660798714
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