Gbarnga, Bong County – Liberia’s first regional passport centers were officially launched in Gbarnga and Zwedru on Monday by President Joseph Nyuma Boakai and Foreign Minister Sara Beyslow Nyanti, who pledged to make government services more available to residents outside of the capital in a historic attempt to decentralize public services.
One of the most tangible outcomes of the Boakai administration’s ARREST Agenda, the action commences the National Passport Decentralization Program, which is headed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Officials characterized the initiative, which was launched, as a new chapter in providing services in an equal manner.
President Boakai stated during the opening ceremony in Gbarnga that thousands of people have been denied their constitutional rights because fundamental services, including passport issuing, have been centralized in Monrovia for far too long. “This is about justice, equity, and inclusivity, not just convenience,” the president said.
All passport-related services, including data processing, fees, and interviews, were previously exclusively available in Monrovia. Residents of isolated counties occasionally had to make long, expensive, and time-consuming trips as a result. The new facilities, according to President Boakai, are intended to addressthe gap and will particularly help the people of Bong, Grand Gedeh, and the neighboring counties.
He declared, “We want to see the benefits of our 178 years reflected in the lives of ordinary citizens. Functional and tangible decentralization is essential.”
The Gbarnga center will process applications and send them to Monrovia for issue, but it will not print passports on-site. Officials claim that only taking this action will drastically reduce expenses and waiting periods.The passport hub in Zwedru, Grand Gedeh County, which has biometric technology and secure connectivity to the ministry’s main database in Monrovia, was also opened at the same time by Foreign Minister Sara Beysolow Nyanti.
Minister Nyanti addressed a joyful gathering, “This is more than a building; it is a promise delivered. Grand Gedeh residents will no longer have to go to Monrovia in order to exercise their right to mobility and identification. No Liberian will be left behind due to location.”
The decentralization movement was hailed as long overdue by civil society organizations, youth activists, and local chiefs in Bong and Grand Gedeh counties. According to many, the centers will lessen suffering and increase involvement in national affairs.
