Ministry of Health to Issue Adult Birth and Death Certificates in Grand Gedeh County

ZWEDRU September 11 — In a move to advance the government’s decentralization plan, the Ministry of Health (MoH) will soon begin issuing adult birth and death certificates at the County Service Center in Zwedru, Grand Gedeh County.

According to County Health Registrar Emmanuel Kadee, the local government has provided a dedicated office space for this purpose. The MoH is expected to send trainers from Monrovia to conduct a workshop for staff at the County Registry. This training will build the capacity of local officials, including investigators and officers from the Liberia Immigration Service, to handle the new responsibilities.

Kadee explained that during the initial phase, applicants will submit their information at the county level, which will then be processed by the central office in Monrovia, with certificates available for collection in about a week. After the training is complete, the goal is to process certificates in just a few hours.

Kadee noted a high demand for birth certificates from individuals seeking to obtain Liberian passports. He urged the MoH to expedite the training and the start of the certificate issuance.

In a related development, James Kpangbai, Deputy Director for Passport and Decentralization at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), confirmed that a birth certificate is a key requirement for a Liberian passport. He stated that the MFA is planning discussions with the MoH to streamline the process for adult birth certificates.

The lack of birth certificates and National Identification Cards has been a significant barrier for those seeking passports at the regional hubs in Southeastern Liberia and Gbarnga, Bong County. The new initiative from the MoH and MFA is expected to eliminate these obstacles.

The MFA Passport Regional Hubs, with offices in Grand Gedeh and Bong counties, officially resumed operations in early August. The launch in Gbarnga was led by President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, while Minister of Foreign Affairs Sara Beyslow Nyanti launched the Zwedru office on July 21, 2025.