The National Civil Registration Authority (NCRA) with support from UNICEF has officially launched securitized and Serialized Legal Identity documents which include Births, Deaths, Marriage, Divorce and Adoption Certificates respectively.

Sierra Leone becomes one of the first countries in Africa to issue Securitized and Serialized Legal Identity Certificates from birth to death. This will create credibility and will rank the country high in the International arena especially for consular services and background checks.

Addressing the audience, the Director General NCRA, Mr Mohamed Mubashir Massaquoi thanked donor partners and particularly the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) for their unwavering supports in actualizing the securitization and serialization of legal identity documents in Sierra Leone.

Mr. Massaquoi underscored that legal identity and identity credentials are human rights affairs, and that Civil Registration Systems are the basic building blocks of legal identity ecosystem and Identity Document for the fulfilment of fundamental human rights.

“The NCRA and by extension the Government of Sierra Leone, in a bid to further strengthen the Integrated Civil Registration System now introduces the use of Securitized and Serialized Legal Identity Documents which will record occurrence and characteristics of vital events related to its citizens and other residents as provided for and in accordance with the NCRA Act of 2016,” Mr.Massaquoi said.

The system he said will enhance High Security Features, User Access Control, Data Protection and Privacy, Validation, NIN which is called the Magic Number, Easy Search, Trust and Accountability and Improved Access to Identity Services.

“I’m overwhelmed to see the promise made by His Excellency, President Dr. Julius Maada Bio at the 2019 UN General Assembly to use partnership and innovation to introduce technology and Securitized legal identity certificates in Sierra Leone becomes a reality,” the Director General noted.

He further stated that this will put an end to the counterfeiting and duplication of certificates, impersonation and other identity fraud, and that any person found wanting of any fraudulent use of this system will be hit by the law.

Present at the launching were representatives from UNICEF, Internal Affairs Ministry and the Ministry of Health and Sanitation who all applauded the NCRA for achieving such a milestone.