A Member of Parliament, Hon. Ben Alpha’n Mansaray has written an open letter to the Director General of the National Civil Registration Authority, calling for urgent action on the establishment of permanent national identity registration centres at chiefdom level across Sierra Leone.
In the letter, Hon. Ben Alpha’n Mansaray reminded the Authority of earlier commitments made to improve access to national ID services, especially for citizens in rural communities.
He noted that in 2025, the NCRA launched a nationwide registration exercise with a deadline of August 2025, supported by the Office of National Security Sierra Leone and the Inspector General of Police, stressing the importance of national identity cards for security, planning and public services.
However, he said many citizens in remote areas faced serious difficulties, as registration centres were mostly located in district headquarters, forcing people to travel long distances at high cost.
The MP referenced his earlier intervention in Parliament, where he raised concerns under Standing Order 23 and called for equal access to registration services. He said the NCRA leadership later promised to deploy mobile registration teams or establish permanent centres at chiefdom level, in line with legal provisions under the NCRA Act.
He also mentioned engagements with the Council of Paramount Chiefs, led by Paramount Chief Fasuluku, which raised public expectations for improved access to services. Fasuluku
Despite these assurances, the MP expressed concern that little visible progress has been made, leaving many rural citizens still without national identity cards.
He described the situation as a major national challenge, noting that access to identification is essential for banking, telecommunications, voting rights and general civic participation.
The letter urged the NCRA to urgently:
- Establish permanent registration centres at chiefdom level
- Deploy mobile registration teams to underserved communities
- Improve processing time for ID cards using modern systems
- Ensure no citizen is excluded due to location or access barriers
Copies of the letter were also sent to the Speaker of Parliament, the Minority Leader, the Board of Directors of NCRA, the Office of National Security, and the Inspector General of Police.
The MP stressed that national identification is a basic right that should be accessible to all Sierra Leoneans, regardless of where they live.
