ECOWAS conducts advocacy on the deployment of the national biometric identity card in Liberia and Sierra Leone

ECOWAS urges member states to recognise national biometric identity card

Zadok Kwame Gyesi Jun - 29 - 2024 , 12:52 3 minutes read

Pursuant to the decision of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government in 2014 to adopt the ECOWAS National Biometric Identity Card (ENBIC) as an official travel document to replace the hand-written ECOWAS Travel Certificate, the ECOWAS Commission through the Directorate of Free Movement of Persons and Migration embarked on an advocacy and sensitisation campaign in Member States to popularise the ENBIC.

On the 13th and 14th of June 2024, the ECOWAS Commission launched the campaign in Monrovia, Liberia, where an ECOWAS delegation led by the Director of Free Movement of Persons and Migration, Mr. Albert Siaw-Boateng, met with the Liberia Immigration Service, the National Identification Registry, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Mr. Siaw-Boateng, conveyed gratitude on behalf of the ECOWAS Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture, Mrs. Massandje Toure-Litse, to the ECOWAS Resident Representative in Liberia, Mrs. Josephine Nkrumah, for her efforts in mobilising stakeholders and to the Liberian authorities for their keen interest in advancing the implementation of the ECOWAS National Biometric Identity Card in Liberia.

He informed that the ENBIC is currently deployed in six ECOWAS Member States namely Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Ghana, Benin, The Gambia and Sierra Leone and urged Liberia to recognise the card issued by these countries. “Liberia can make history by being the first country to accept the ENBIC issued by other Member States and ECOWAS is ready to support Liberia in this regard”, confirmed the Director of Free Movement of Persons and Migration.

In response, the Liberian authorities expressed their willingness to accept the ENBIC from other Member States. Mr. Stephen Zargo, the Commissioner General of Liberia Immigration Service, expressed readiness to collaborate with other Member States for successful implementation. “We have the capacity to work along with other countries to see how that can be implemented”, said Mr Zargo.

The Executive Director of the National Identification Registry (NIR) Liberia, Mr. Andrew Peters, highlighted the progress made in the Identity management system, he also cited financial constraints and lack of citizens’ demand as obstacles. He solicited the support of ECOWAS in mobilising funding for this purpose.

In Sierra Leone, the ECOWAS delegation met with the representatives at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation on June 18, 2024. The meeting aimed to (1) ensure

compliance in the implementation process; and (2) advocate the acceptability from the other Member States that have successfully implemented the ENBIC.

Mr. Stephen Levey, the Director for Africa at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, expressed the Ministry's commitment to facilitating intra-regional movement. “This issue is very close to our hearts in the Foreign Ministry because it's one of our key mandates to ensure unhindered movement of our citizens within the sub-region” he echoed. He, however, highlighted some challenges including the high cost compared to the local ID card and the lack of recognition of the card from other countries making access to other countries difficult to the citizens.

Mr. Siaw-Boateng, the Director Free Movement of Persons and Migration stressed the ENBIC's security benefits and assured ECOWAS support to Sierra Leone's implementation efforts.