Gabon Unveils New National Digital ID System

After over a decade of anticipation, Gabonese citizens can now apply for and receive a national digital ID card. The new identity credential, officially known as the National Electronic Identity Card (CNIE), was launched last week in a ceremony led by the country’s military leader, Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema.

The last issuance of national ID cards to Gabonese citizens occurred in 2013. Since then, several government attempts to restart the process were unsuccessful.

According to a press release from Gabon’s presidency, the rollout of the new card underscores Nguema’s commitment to ensuring that all citizens possess a government-issued national ID, enabling them to access a wide array of services.

Oligui Nguema committed to advancing the national ID system modernization program following 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 Minister of Interior and National Security. Although the president was biometrically enrolled and issued a Personal Identification Number (PIN) back in April, the card had not been issued until now.

As part of the ceremony, Oligui and members of his delegation, including government ministers and members of the military transitional council, toured the ID production facility as well as services for producing residence permits and passports.

The government in Libreville has announced plans to make the national ID card a travel document within the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC) – an economic and political bloc of six Central African countries.

Since 2008, there has been a policy for visa-free travel within the region using the CEMAC biometric passport. However, effective implementation of this policy has been hindered by a lack of political commitment from some member states.

Currently, the Gabon ID card is issued only in Libreville, but steps are being taken to ensure that issuance soon extends to all police stations across the country.