New Burkina Faso biometric passport further cements ECOWAS departure

The government of Burkina Faso has unveiled a new generation biometric passport in a move that highlights the countries unwillingness to rejoin the ECOWAS fold despite calls from regional authorities for a change of stand.

Unlike the previous generation passport in Burkina Faso, the new one launched recently doesn’t carry the ECOWAS Logo or any related inscriptions on its cover page.

The new passport is produced by Chinese biometrics firm Emptech.

Burkina Faso, alongside Mali and Niger, West African countries currently governed by military regimes, announced their decision to quite the 15-nation ECOWAS bloc in January after being slammed sanctions over military coups.

Reuters quotes the country’s Security Minister Mahamaou Sana as affirming that “on this passport, there’s no ECOWAS logo, and no mention of ECOWAS either.”

The government official adds that “since January, Burkina Faso has decided to withdraw from this body, and this is just a realisation of the action already taken by Burkina Faso.”

The ECOWAS bloc has a policy on visa-free movement for nationals of member states using either the ECOWAS passport or the regional biometric ID implemented under the World Bank-supported WURI program. Burkina Faso and Niger were among the first six ECOWAS countries to benefit from the WURI initiative.

When the countries announced their departure from ECOWAS early in the year, regional officials raised concerns that citizens of the three countries will no longer be able to use the regional passport and ID card.

Meanwhile, at the launch of the passport early this month, the Director General of the National Identification Agency, Arzouma Daouda Parfait Louré, said the achievement is the fruit of a process that started in 2022, according to Burkina 24 TV. He said there had been a thorough diagnosis of the old passport production system which was in place since 2018.

The new passports will be produced with technology of the latest generation and in line with security standards for travel documents prescribed by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the official explained.

As part of the novelty, the ID agency chief said citizens can now apply for passports online through a simplified and flexible data collection process. Be it at home or abroad, the system has been designed to facilitate the issuance of passports within just 24 hours, and applicants will have the possibility to track the progress of their passport application.

Early this year, the World Bank’s International Development Association approved funding for Burkina Faso to the tune of $150 million to assist the country in the building of its digital public infrastructure.

Article Topics

Africa  |  biometric passport  |  biometrics  |  Burkina Faso  |  digital ID  |  ECOWAS  |  Emperor Technology