A Member of Parliament for Moyamba District, Alpha Ben Mansaray, has called on the Director General of the National Civil Registration Authority (NCRA) to urgently fulfill commitments aimed at decentralizing national civil registration services across the country.
In an open letter dated April 26, 2026, Mansaray reminded the NCRA of earlier assurances to establish permanent registration centres at the chiefdom level and deploy mobile registration units to improve access for citizens, particularly those in rural communities.
He referenced a 2025 nationwide registration drive during which the NCRA urged citizens to obtain their National Identity Cards ahead of an August deadline. The exercise, he noted, was reinforced by the Sierra Leone Police and the Office of National Security to support national planning and security efforts.
While acknowledging the importance of the initiative, Mansaray expressed concern that it failed to consider the realities faced by citizens in remote chiefdoms, where access to registration centres—mainly located in district headquarters—remains a significant challenge due to travel costs and logistical constraints.
The lawmaker recalled raising the issue in Parliament under Standing Order 23, prompting the NCRA leadership to commit to addressing the gap through either mobile (roving) teams or the establishment of permanent centres, in line with provisions of the NCRA Act that require accessibility of services.
He further disclosed that he engaged the Council of Paramount Chiefs, led by Paramount Chief Fasuluku, to support dialogue with the Authority. According to Mansaray, those engagements were constructive and raised public expectations for swift action.
However, he lamented that little progress has been made since those commitments were given, leaving many Sierra Leoneans—especially in rural areas—without access to national identity cards.
Mansaray described the situation as troubling, noting that in a country of roughly six million people, delays in the issuance of national ID cards remain widespread. He also pointed to inefficiencies in the system, including prolonged waiting periods for card collection, despite advancements in technology.
He emphasized that access to national identification is fundamental to citizenship, enabling participation in essential services such as banking, telecommunications, voting, and national security systems.
The MP called on the NCRA to take immediate steps to establish chiefdom-level registration centres, deploy effective mobile units to underserved communities, and improve turnaround time for issuing identity cards.
He warned that millions of Sierra Leoneans remain without national identification and stressed the urgency of addressing the issue in the national interest.
Copies of the letter were also sent to the Speaker of Parliament, the Minority Leader, the Chairman of the NCRA Board, the Office of National Security, and the Inspector General of Police.
