West African states have agreed to accept the ECOWAS biometric ID card as proof of identity at every official border crossing from January 1 2027, the regional bloc said.
The commitment, made in a Freetown Declaration adopted by the bloc’s heads of immigration, applies even where the country that issued the card has not yet begun its own national rollout. It is the clearest deadline yet for a card that member states adopted in 2014 but have been slow to issue.
What did ECOWAS immigration chiefs agree in Freetown?
The 10th annual meeting of ECOWAS heads of immigration, held in Freetown, Sierra Leone, on November 3 and 4, ended with member states committing that a valid ECOWAS National Biometric Identity Card (ENBIC) issued by any member state would be accepted at all official border posts as sufficient proof of identity and community citizenship, according to a statement from the ECOWAS Commission.
Member states are expected to brief border officials, issue instructions and equip border posts to verify cards issued by other countries. They are also asked to keep the card affordable, link its issuance to civil registration, extend coverage to border regions and citizens living abroad, and submit rollout plans with target dates to the commission by December 2030, the statement said.
The commission was asked to set up a monitoring and evaluation committee, finalise common technical specifications and a regional verification system, report each year on rollout and border acceptance, and work with IATA, the airline industry body, on circulating the declaration.
Why does the ECOWAS biometric ID card matter for free movement?
ENBIC was designed to serve as a travel document under the 1979 ECOWAS free movement protocol, which allows community citizens to travel between member states without visas. Uptake has been patchy: only six member states, Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Ghana, Benin, The Gambia and Sierra Leone, had deployed the card as of 2024, Biometric Update reported.
The declaration comes as the bloc tries to show citizens practical benefits from integration, alongside efforts to strengthen the ECOWAS Parliament and improve regional transport links.
Sharon Dimanche, chief of mission for the International Organization for Migration in Nigeria and to ECOWAS, said regional integration should be measured by the improvement travellers experience at border crossings, according to the statement.
Albert Siaw-Boateng, the commission’s director of free movement of persons and migration, said the protocol’s effectiveness depended on how member states implemented it. The meeting was chaired by El Hadji Cheikh Drame of Senegal, who said free movement and border security were mutually reinforcing.
What is Sierra Leone changing in its immigration law?
Sierra Leone’s minister of internal affairs, Morie Lengor, said the government planned legislation to replace existing immigration laws with a Sierra Leone Immigration Service Act that would give effect to the ECOWAS free movement regime in national law, backed by 10 sets of implementing regulations. Border management must ease legitimate travel while preventing the movement of criminals, he said.
The heads of immigration agreed to review progress on the declaration at future meetings. Its recommendations will be sent to the bloc’s statutory bodies for consideration.
FAQ
What is the ECOWAS biometric ID card?
The ECOWAS National Biometric Identity Card (ENBIC) is a national ID card that also serves as a travel document within the West African bloc. Member states adopted it in 2014.
When must ECOWAS countries accept the ENBIC at borders?
Under the Freetown Declaration, member states committed to accept a valid ENBIC from any member state at all official border crossings from January 1 2027.
Which countries have issued the ENBIC?
Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Ghana, Benin, The Gambia and Sierra Leone had deployed the card as of 2024, according to Biometric Update.
