Gabon launches new national ID system

After more than a decade of waiting, Gabonese will now be able to apply for and obtain a national digital ID card. The identity credential, known officially as the National Electronic Identity Card (CNIE), was launched last week in a ceremony presided at by the country’s military leader, Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema.

The last time national ID cards were issued to Gabonese was in 2013. Since then, the government has made several attempts to restart the process to no avail.

A press release from Gabon’s presidency notes that the rollout of the new card reflects the willingness of Nguema to ensure that all citizens have a government-issued national ID which can permit them enjoy a wide array of services.

Oligui Nguema had taken the commitment to pursue the national ID system modernization program when he staged what is referred to in the country as “a coup of liberation” on August 30, 2023.

During the launch, the president and his wife, Zita Oligui Nguema, symbolically received their ID cards from the hands of the Minister of Interior and National Security.

The president had been biometrically enrolled and issued a Personal Identification Number (PIN) back in April, but the card was yet to be issued.

As part of the launching ceremony, Oligui and members of his delegation which included government ministers and members of the military transitional council, made a guided tour of the ID production facility as well as the services for the production of residence permits and passports.

The government in Libreville has announced that it plans to make the national ID card a document which will be used for travel within the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC) – the economic and political bloc grouping six countries in Central Africa.

Already, there is a policy in place since 2008 for visa-free travels within this region using what is known as the CEMAC biometric passport, but the effective implementation of the policy has been clogged up for lack of political commitment from some member states.

For now, the Gabon ID card will be issued only in Libreville but there are steps afoot to ensure that issuance soon happens in all police stations across the country.

Article Topics

Africa  |  biometric identification  |  biometrics  |  digital identity  |  Gabon  |  identity management  |  National Electronic Identity Card (CNIE)  |  national ID