Steps towards digital ID card issuance taken in Gabon and Tunisia

Gabon kicked off a civil registry issuance campaign in the greater Libreville area ahead of a broader national initiative. Registration centers for Gabonese people to apply for their Numéro d’Identification Personnel (NIP) were visited by government officials as they consider the expansion of registration both within greater Libreville and the surrounding country.

The NIP is required for applications to receive Gabon’s digital ID card, the Carte Nationale d’Identité Electronique (CNIE).

Registration centers are found at the headquarters of the General Directorate of Documentation and Immigration (DGDI), at the Commissariat de Belle Vi vue 2 in the 3rd arrondissement and the Public Garden in the first arrondissement of Owendo.

The operation began successfully, albeit with some technical difficulties, according to the government announcement.

The issuance of the national digital ID card has long been anticipated in Gabon, and Thales was reportedly awarded the contract last year.

High-ranking officials from Tunisian government ministries held a working session recently to decide on practical implementation measures and use cases to activate for the country’s biometric national identity cards and biometric passports in the first half of calendar 2025.

National press agency TAP reports that the meeting followed talks on the issuance process for the ID cards and passports.

The move comes in part to comply with advice from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) for all countries to adopt biometric passports by 2026.

And a report by Africa Intelligence suggests that Cameroon in considering awarding the contract for production of its national digital ID card to Augentic. The company is reported to be bidding against incumbent supplier Thales DIS.

No official decision has been announced yet, however public pressure to move ahead with the ID card project is mounting.

Article Topics

Africa  |  Augentic  |  biometrics  |  Cameroon  |  digital identity  |  Gabon  |  national ID  |  Tunisia