Gabon hopes to deliver on its lingering national ID card promise this year
Published: 1/May/2023
Source: Biometric Update
By Ayang Macdonald
This December could usher in good tidings for citizens of the central African nation of Gabon who have gone for many years without seeing any new issuance of the national ID card. This is if things roll on as planned by the administration of President Ali Bongo Ondimba.
Many citizens in the highly forested and sparsely populated nation of 2.5 million people believe it would be easier for them to go about their daily activities if they had valid ID cards, which are necessary for completing a wide range of transactions with both government and private sector entities.
Unfortunately, many citizens do not possess IDs. Since 2013, the government in Libreville has not issued national ID cards for different reasons. As such, citizens who applied for ID cards between 2011 and 2013 have continued to use the old cards, many of which have lost their validity, while those who had just the application receipt before the halt in production, have continued to keep them.
For ordinary Gabonese, the long period of non-issuance of IDs is worrisome and dire as many of them have been complaining of acute difficulties in carrying out their daily activities.
Read further: https://www.biometricupdate.com/202305/gabon-hopes-to-deliver-on-its-lingering-national-id-card-promise-this-year