The West African nation of Sierra Leone is at full throttle with its digital transformation efforts, and its MOSIP-based foundational identity system is the nucleus of this undertaking, according to an official with the country’s ID authority.

The Deputy Director of ICT at the National Civil Registration Authority (NCRA), Moses T.F. Vibbie, in an interview with Biometric Update on the sideline of the MOSIP Connect event which took place last month in Addis Ababa, explains that the strong political will of the country’s Head of State, Julius Maada Bio, and the dedication of the NCRA’s Director General, Mohamed Mubashir Massaquoi, are the other driving forces behind the initiative. Massaquoi is also an ID4Africa Ambassador.

“Foundational digital ID managed by the NCRA is at the centre of Sierra Leone’s digital transformation agenda. The National ID Card or NIN is mandatory for accessing services in Sierra Leone as enshrined in the National Civil Registration Act of 2016 (NCR Act 2016),” says Vibbie.