By By: Staff Writer
MONROVIA, — President Joseph Nyuma Boakai has issued Executive Order No. 163, creating a sweeping national digitalization program and a new Office of Technology, Digitalization and Innovation under the presidency to standardize government IT systems and curb duplication across ministries.
The order, signed April 22, launches the National Digitalization and Modernization Initiative and establishes the OTDI as the central authority for digital governance, enterprise architecture, and cybersecurity. The move places oversight of major ICT investments directly within the Office of the President, with power to issue “Technical Clearance” before agencies proceed with large technology projects.
Significant Angle: Consolidation of Tech Authority to Target Waste, Fragmentation
The Executive Order frames Liberia’s fragmented government IT landscape as a source of waste and inefficiency. It mandates a “Whole-of-Government” overhaul using secure, interoperable, standards-based systems and directs OTDI to maintain a comprehensive inventory of national digital systems. The office will promote consolidation and reuse of shared platforms “where efficient and lawful.”
To enforce compliance, a Digital Government Steering Committee chaired by the Minister of State for Presidential Affairs will provide high-level oversight. All ICT procurement remains subject to the Public Procurement and Concessions Act, and the order states it does not amend or supersede any Act of the Legislature, including the statutory independence of the Central Bank of Liberia and Liberia Revenue Authority.
Cybersecurity and Privacy Provisions
The order mandates baseline cybersecurity protections for all government digital systems, in coordination with the Ministries of Posts and Telecommunications and Justice. It also requires that data-sharing initiatives comply with constitutional privacy guarantees and sectoral laws.
Timeline and Deliverables
Executive Order No. 163 took effect immediately and will remain in force for one year while the government pursues legislation to institutionalize the reforms. Within 180 days, OTDI must submit a prioritized implementation roadmap, plus the first releases of a Government Enterprise Architecture Framework and a Government Interoperability Framework.
The Boakai Administration described the order as a cornerstone of its governance reform agenda, aimed at enabling e-government, digital identity systems, and “21st-century service delivery.”
Credit: News Central
