This project aims to improve the border management information system (BMIS) at Roberts International Airport (RIA) in Monrovia, Liberia in order to conform to regional and international requirements in terms of security and migration management. In particular, the intervention will introduce IOM’s Migration Information and Data Analysis System (MIDAS) at eight RIA workstations and train 16 Bureau of Immigration and Naturalization (BIN) officials on the management of the system. The current system in place, Personal Identification and Registration System (PIRS), was installed in 2008 and is now outdated because it does not meet international requirements in terms of biometric data collection and real-time information on alert lists. Additionally, IOM will install a workstation at the BIN headquarters in order to facilitate real-time management of data collected at the airport and therefore ensure control on migration management.
The proposed intervention will support the Government of Liberia during a critical transition as the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) draws down its presence in June 2016. Based on the Government of Liberia’s Security Transition Plan’s focus on strengthening key agencies in the security sector, BIN has identified the installation of MIDAS as a priority to achieving its mandate.