Andrew Solomon Napuat: Strengthening Civil Registration and National ID in Vanuatu
Since his reappointment as Minister of Internal Affairs on August 12, 2024, Andrew Solomon Napuat has taken a leading role in reinforcing Vanuatu’s civil registration and identity management systems. Under his leadership, the Ministry has advanced efforts to modernise the Civil Registration and Identity Management (CRIM) office, ensuring it delivers accurate and secure identity services to all ni-Vanuatu citizens.
A key development came in November 2024, when the Vanuatu Electoral Office formally transferred voter registration responsibilities to CRIM. The handover included the provision of ID card printers and consumables, boosting CRIM’s capacity to issue National ID cards throughout the country. This transition positioned CRIM—under Napuat’s ministry—as the central authority for both civil and voter registration, with a mandate to improve transparency, accessibility, and efficiency in public identity services.
Napuat’s oversight also includes efforts to digitally transform CRIM’s operations. In early 2025, the Ministry initiated strategic planning to modernise civil registration processes, aiming to reduce manual recordkeeping and enhance digital access to birth, marriage, and identity documentation. These upgrades are aligned with Napuat’s broader governance goals to decentralise services and ensure all citizens—regardless of province—have reliable access to identity documentation essential for education, employment, healthcare, and voting.
This recent work builds on Napuat’s earlier legacy. In 2019, during his first term as Minister, he launched the Civil and Voter Registration (CVR) initiative, introducing a new National ID to replace outdated voter cards. That reform addressed long-standing irregularities in the Civil Status registry and laid the groundwork for the fully integrated CRIM system now being strengthened under his leadership in 2024–2025.
Through these reforms, Andrew Napuat continues to prioritise inclusive, accurate, and secure identity management, recognising that legal identity is the foundation for full participation in Vanuatu’s social, political, and economic life.
Andrew Solomon Napuat 