By Ragan M. Conteh

An MP of the All People’s Congress (APC) from Moyamba district, Hon Alpha Ben Mansary, has raised serious concerns about the difficulties citizens are facing in accessing their national identity cards, giving particular emphasis on the challenges faced by people from the rurals and very remote areas in the country.

He made the submissions on Tuesday 21st January 2025 in the chambers of parliament.

He highlighted the growing economic burden on citizens who are forced to travel long distances, sometimes spending several days or paying high fares  to reach the limited centers for the collection of national IDs.

He specifically pointed out the lack of collection points in many districts, noting that in some areas like in the Western Rural, there is only one centre meant to serve an entire population roughly above two million.

The situation is exacerbated as the vulnerable such as the pregnant women, lactating mothers, and people with disabilities, are seen enduring long queues to secure their IDs.

He stressed that while the National Civil Registration Authority (NCRA) is responsible for distributing the national identity cards, they are not meeting the needs of the population owing to the limited number of centers nationwide.

Hon. Ben Mansaray proposed that the government should revisit its approach and create more collection centers, including mobile units in remote regions to ease collectors’ difficulties.

He suggested that the National Civil Registration Authority (NCRA) be invited to submit a comprehensive proposal outlining how they’re planning to expand the network of collection points, with the aim of making the process more accessible and efficient to Sierra Leoneans.

They argued that providing easier access to national IDs would not only help citizens but would also enable the government to generate much-needed income.

In addition, Hon. Ben Mansaray called for a review of the current deadline set for the collection of national IDs, thinking that the time given is very short.

Some MPs, such as Hon. Dixon Rogers expressed their support for a time extension to allow more citizens to apply and receive their IDs.