The National Civil Registration Authority (NCRA) has announced the successful restoration of its National Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS), following a period of mandatory maintenance.
The maintenance, which began on October 10, 2024, affected the ABIS engine, a critical component of the National Identification Management System (IDMS). The engine is responsible for biometric deduplication and the assignment of National Identification Numbers (NIN) to new registrants.
In a public statement issued on 24 October 2024, the NCRA confirmed that services had resumed, particularly the registration and assigning of NINs to individuals aged 12 and above who were impacted during the maintenance period.
“We are pleased to inform the public that the mandatory maintenance has been successfully concluded and services are back to normal,” an NCRA stated.
The Authority also clarified that routine services, such as the issuance of ID cards, registration of minors under 12 years, and the certification of births, deaths, marriages, and divorces, continued uninterrupted during the maintenance.
“Other routine services, including ID verification, corrections, and updates of personal information, were not affected and have remained fully operational,” the statement added.
The NCRA reassured citizens and non-citizens residing in Sierra Leone of its “unwavering commitment” to providing continuous civil registration and identity management services. Offices, centers, and outlets across the country remain open for public access to a wide range of NCRA services.
The public is encouraged to visit any of these locations to access services offered by the NCRA.
