• Gabon has launched its National Electronic Identity Card (CNIE) after an 11-year hiatus since its last ID card issuance.

• With this, citizens of Gabon can now apply for and obtain a national digital ID card which will be issued only in Libreville with plans to expand issuance to all police stations across the country.

• This development is on the heels of a recently concluded $68.5M loan agreement between the country and the World Bank for the "Digital Gabon" project to enhance access to legal identity and specific digital government services within the country.

The government revealed that it plans to make the national ID card a document that will be used for travel within the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC) – the economic and political bloc grouping six countries in Central Africa.

Since 2008, a policy has been in place allowing visa-free travel within this region for holders of the CEMAC biometric passport, but the major challenge lies in its ineffective implementation.

Besides, the digital identity card is valid for conducting essential daily transactions, including banking services and administrative procedures.

In May 2024, Gabon initiated a civil registry issuance campaign in the Libreville region, establishing registration centres for Gabonese citizens to obtain their Numéro d’Identification Personnel (NIP).

The NIP is necessary for Gabon’s digital identity card — the Carte Nationale d’Identité Electronique (CNIE).

In 2012, the Gabonese government launched efforts to establish a biometric national registry to issue secure national ID cards. This project was awarded to Thales Digital Identity Security, a French firm.

In 2013, the national ID cards were first issued to the citizens but have since encountered delays. Belgian firm Semlex was contracted to issue the ID cards but the contract was reportedly terminated. 

Citizens who applied for ID cards during that period have been using the old cards, many of which have expired, while those who only had the application receipt before production stopped have continued to keep them.

A report revealed that Thales is taking over the contract and plans are advancing in terms of setting up the equipment and training operational personnel.