Gambia’s biometric ID cards ready for distribution October 1

The Gambian National ID card will be rolled out to the public beginning October 1st, 2018. Adama Barrow, President of the Republic of Gambia, urged all eligible citizens to register with the Immigration Department to acquire the new biometric ID card.

Last week the President, Vice President and the First Ladies underwent the registration process for the national document at a demonstration ceremony supervised by the Director General of Immigration, the Semlex project director for Gambia and the Minister of Interior.

“The ID card is for Gambians,” President Barrow told the State House Press Corps. “We want to make that very clear for everybody living in this country. We have rules and regulations that people have to follow. We want everyone to follow the due process to get every Gambian registered.”

“It is the first step in the new dispensation in The Gambia”, added Semlex country project director, Didier Cornil. He noted that the IDs are a big advantage for citizens because like the ECOWAS biometric passport, the document is acceptable in most ECOWAS countries.

Applicant must produce an old ID document, birth certificate, voters’ card, or a copy of a passport as proof of Gambian citizenship and have their fingerprints scanned.

The Minister of the Interior, Mr. Ebrima Mballow, acknowledged the patience exercised by Gambians throughout the contract renegotiation period. Gambia restored the Semlex contract for biometric national identity documents last February following a year of consideration and a Ministerial taskforce.

Article Topics

Africa  |  biometrics  |  fingerprint biometrics  |  national ID  |  Semlex  |  The Gambia