Nigeria has officially launched the ECOWAS National Biometric Identity Card (ENBIC), a unified regional ID system aimed at improving cross-border movement, security and identity management across West Africa.
The launch ceremony held on Friday in Abuja was themed “ENBIC: Enhancing Regional Integration and Security.” Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, described the initiative as a major milestone in President Bola Tinubu’s administration and a key step toward modernising border management.
“The card provides the foundation for more efficient identification across borders, a crucial component in combating insecurity,” he said.
Nigeria becomes the seventh ECOWAS state to deploy ENBIC since adoption in 2014. The card replaces the old handwritten ECOWAS Travel Certificate and is designed to function as a regional identity document, travel card, and residence permit. It contains biometric data including fingerprints and facial recognition features, enabling secure verification and reducing identity fraud.
The minister said the next phase involves integrating ENBIC with the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s Public Key Directory (ICAO-PKD) to improve verification at entry points. He added that the system is expected to ease travel within the region, support legal migration, and reduce reliance on international passports for intra-ECOWAS travel.
According to Tunji-Ojo, Nigeria is also exploring the creation of a shared regional migration database — similar to the EU’s Schengen model — to strengthen intelligence sharing and security coordination within West Africa.
