In a strong demonstration of international confidence in Sierra Leone’s civil registration and identity management systems, the Director General of the National Civil Registration Authority (NCRA), Mohamed Mubashir Massaquoi, on Thursday 19th February 2026, hosted two high-level delegations from UNICEF and the British High Commission’s Home Office International Operations.
The back-to-back engagements underscored growing global support for Sierra Leone’s ongoing reforms in Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS), as well as renewed commitment to ensuring legal identity for all citizens.
The first meeting saw the newly appointed UNICEF Chief Child Protection Officer, Patrick Halton, pay a courtesy visit to the NCRA Director General. Marking his first official assignment in West Africa, Patrick Halton expressed strong enthusiasm for deepening collaboration with the Authority, particularly in accelerating birth registration and strengthening child protection systems through secure legal identity frameworks.
He commended Mohamed Mubashir Massaquoi for his leadership role in advancing CRVS systems across the continent, describing him as a “chief champion” of civil registration reforms in Africa. Patrick Halton reaffirmed UNICEF’s commitment to supporting initiatives that safeguard children’s rights through comprehensive and accessible birth certification processes.
In response, the NCRA Director General acknowledged UNICEF’s longstanding partnership and pivotal contributions to strengthening Sierra Leone’s civil registration systems. He highlighted UNICEF’s support for the recent nationwide birth certificate campaign launched in November and ongoing legislative review efforts aimed at addressing historical overlaps and institutional conflicts among agencies performing related functions.
Discussions between the two sides focused on key priority areas for enhanced cooperation, including sustained resource mobilization, continuation of mass birth registration drives, targeted public awareness campaigns and capacity building within relevant institutions. Both parties agreed that expanding access to birth registration remains essential to protecting children’s rights and ensuring their access to education, healthcare and social protection services.
Later that same day, a delegation from the British High Commission’s Home Office International Operations engaged the NCRA Director General in discussions aimed at strengthening collaboration on identity verification processes.
The talks centred on the secure and responsible verification of birth, marriage and national identity records; processes that are critical for migration management, consular services and broader governance objectives. Both sides explored mechanisms for granting controlled access to NCRA data for authorized applicants, while placing utmost emphasis on safeguarding citizens’ data privacy and protection.
The engagement reflected a shared commitment to building robust and trustworthy identity systems that balance operational efficiency with the highest standards of data security and personal privacy.
Observers note that those high-level visits signal increasing international confidence in Sierra Leone’s civil registration reforms and the NCRA’s central role in delivering reliable legal identity services. The strengthened bilateral and multilateral partnerships are expected to support the country’s drive toward universal birth registration, enhanced child protection and inclusive identity management systems that align with both national development priorities and international best practices.
Welcoming both delegations, Mohamed Mubashir Massaquoi reiterated that reliable civil registration remains foundational to good governance, social protection, economic inclusion and the full realization of citizens’ fundamental rights.
He emphasized that the NCRA remains committed to transparency, institutional collaboration and continuous reform to ensure that every Sierra Leonean is legally recognized and protected under the law.
