By Alvin Lansana Kargbo
The National Civil Registration Authority (NCRA) has reaffirmed its commitment to extending identity and vital registration services across Sierra Leone, following a strategic engagement with Paramount Chiefs held on Wednesday 20th August, 2025 at its headquarters on Kingharman Road in Freetown.
The meeting brought together traditional leaders to discuss ways of strengthening collaboration in the registration of births, deaths, marriages, divorces and the issuance of National Identity Cards. The session aimed to ensure that essential civil registration services are accessible, especially in remote parts of the country, thereby improving the accuracy of national data and enhancing service delivery.
Speaking during the engagement, the Director General of NCRA, Mohamed Mubashir Massaquoi, expressed appreciation to Paramount Chiefs for their unwavering support in the registration process since the inception of NCRA in 2016. He underscored the vital role of traditional authorities in validating and confirming community records, describing them as “indispensable partners in national registration.”
“The registration of vital events is crucial for accurate population data and for ensuring citizens’ access to essential services,” Mohamed Mubashir Massaquoi noted. “From education and banking to marriage and telecommunications, the National ID has become a legal requirement and without the support of Paramount Chiefs our collective effort to build a unified identification system will not succeed.”
He further emphasized that the National ID Act provides the legal framework for securing citizens’ identities, curbing fraud and promoting accountability in public and private institutions. According to him, having a harmonized identification system is not only critical to governance but also to building trust in service delivery across Sierra Leone.
On behalf of the traditional authorities, Hon. Paramount Chief Sheku Amadu Tejan Fasuluku Sonsiama III, National Chairman of the Council of Paramount Chiefs, highlighted the council’s commitment to working closely with NCRA. Representing Paramount Chiefs from 14 districts across Sierra Leone’s four regions, PC Mohamed Mubashir Massaquoi, Fasuluku said consultative meetings would soon be held at chiefdom levels to educate communities on the importance of the registration process.
He stressed that the modern ID is indispensable for citizens’ daily lives. “An Identity Card is not a privilege but a right,” he remarked. “It provides access to financial services, telecommunications and even international transactions such as Western Union. Our people must take responsibility to come forward, pay the fee, capture their photographs and collect their cards.”
PC Fasuluku also reaffirmed that the hierarchical structure of chiefs, from national to village level, would serve as a powerful channel for sensitization, ensuring that no community is left behind in the registration process.
The engagement marks another step in NCRA’s broader strategy to decentralize civil registration services and foster community ownership of the process. With Paramount Chiefs pledging their support, the Authority hopes to significantly expand the reach of its services and strengthen the country’s civil registration and vital statistics system, which underpins governance, planning and development.
