Gambian Biometric Identification Programme Progressing Well

The Gambian government has announced that its biometric identification system is establishing itself successfully with about 302,637 people enrolled and issued ID cards, PANA reported earlier this week.

Foreigners living in the country have also been issued “non-Gambian” identification cards along with 2,235 residential “permit A” and 30,879 residential “permit B” cards.

The commissioner of the Gambian biometric project, Yaha Manneh, stressed the need for added security measures to protect both the citizens and foreign visitors in the country.

Buba Sagnia, head of Gambia’s immigration department, also spoke of the matter, as reported by The Point Newspaper. “We want the security of all Gambians who hold the biometric cards, so that citizens and non-citizens can be free from fraudsters and impostors”.

The project seeks to prevent future fraud and identity cloning of those living in the country. Gambia is only one of the few countries in the African Continent, including Morocco, to implement a biometric system in the hopes of beefing up homeland security.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  civil ID  |  fingerprint verification  |  fraud  |  identification  |  identity theft  |  privacy  |  security