Immigration chiefs from the Economic Community of West African States have committed to accept a valid ECOWAS National Biometric Identity Card, or ENBIC, issued by any member state at all official border crossings from January 1, 2027, as sufficient proof of identity and Community citizenship. The commitment applies whether or not the issuing state has begun its own national rollout of the card.
The pledge is part of the Freetown Declaration, adopted at the 10th Annual Meeting of ECOWAS Heads of Immigration in Freetown, Sierra Leone, on November 3 and 4, in which the officials reaffirmed their commitment to the ENBIC as a travel document across the region. The card is designed to serve as both a national identity card and a travel document within the bloc, and Nigeria formally rolled out its version late last year. The heads of immigration asked the ECOWAS Commission to transmit the declaration and its recommendations to the bloc’s statutory meetings for consideration.
Member states were tasked with putting in place the administrative and operational arrangements needed to recognize and verify the card. These include briefing immigration and other border officials, issuing clear instructions and procedures, and equipping border posts to verify cards issued by other member states where applicable.
The declaration also calls on member states to coordinate with their national identity authorities, submit ENBIC rollout plans with target dates to the ECOWAS Commission by December 2030 and extend coverage to border regions and nationals living abroad. It says the card should remain affordable and accessible, that issuance should be linked with civil registration, and that citizens, traders and border communities should be told about their rights.
The Commission was asked to operationalize a monitoring and evaluation committee created under a 2014 decision, finalize common technical specifications and a regional verification mechanism, report annually on rollout and border acceptance, mobilize resources and work with IATA and other stakeholders on the declaration.
Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, which have left ECOWAS, are issuing their own shared document instead. Niger launched the Alliance of Sahel States biometric identity card in March, following Burkina Faso, and the card allows passport-free travel among the three countries.
Albert Siaw-Boateng, the ECOWAS Commission’s director of free movement of persons and migration, told the meeting that the effectiveness of the bloc’s free movement protocol depends on how member states implement it. Sierra Leone’s Minister of Internal Affairs, Morie Lengor, said his government has proposed a Sierra Leone Immigration Service Act that would give effect to the ECOWAS free movement regime in national law. The heads of immigration agreed to review progress on the declaration at later meetings.
Sources: Zawya
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By the ID Tech Editorial Team
