ECOWAS Biometric Card to Make West African Travel Faster, More Secure-Stakeholders
No More Passport Hassle? ECOWAS Biometric Card Targets Easier Travel Across West Africa
ENBIC: Nigeria, Six Other ECOWAS Countries Roll Out Biometric Travel Card
₦35,000 ECOWAS Biometric Card Offers Nigerians Easier Travel Across West Africa
Travelling across West Africa could become easier and more predictable for Nigerians and other ECOWAS citizens with the rollout of the ECOWAS National Biometric Identity Card, ENBIC, designed to simplify border checks while strengthening security.
Stakeholders at a media sensitisation workshop in Lagos said the biometric card would allow immigration authorities to electronically verify travellers’ identities, reducing reliance on paper-based travel documents and making movement across the region more seamless.
The one-day workshop was organised by the International Organisation for Migration, IOM, in collaboration with the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, with support from the European Union.
Head of Border Management and Migration at the ECOWAS Commission in Nigeria, Mr Obinna Ajugwo, explained that the ENBIC offers a more secure means of identifying travellers than the traditional paper-based ECOWAS Travel Certificate.
According to him, the card contains a biometric chip carrying the holder’s identity information, which immigration officials can use at border posts to verify the traveller and authenticate the document.
Ajugwo said the system would also improve the ability of immigration authorities in member states to share and verify information, strengthening cooperation while facilitating legitimate movement across the region.
“By providing a reliable and harmonised system of identification, the ENBIC will facilitate the exercise of the right to free movement, strengthen border management systems, enhance security cooperation amongst member states, and promote economic and social integration,” he said.
Seven countries deploy ENBIC
Ajugwo disclosed that seven ECOWAS member states — Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Ghana, Benin, The Gambia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria — have deployed the biometric card.
For travellers, the initiative is expected to provide a more streamlined experience at border posts, while giving immigration authorities access to a more reliable system for confirming identities.
The Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS, Mrs Kemi Nana Nandap, said the ENBIC was designed to facilitate the legitimate and seamless movement of citizens across West Africa without compromising border security.
Nandap, represented by the Assistant Comptroller General in charge of Passports and Other Travel Documents, Mrs Titilayo Olaiya, described Nigeria’s deployment of the card as a significant step towards implementing the ECOWAS free-movement framework.
She said Nigerians interested in obtaining the card could apply online using their National Identification Number, NIN, with issuance expected within 48 hours at a cost of ₦35,000.
According to her, the ENBIC can be obtained at NIS state commands and headquarters, while Nigerians travelling to ECOWAS member countries covered by the arrangement would not need to rely on their regular international passports.
Journalists, traders and travellers among expected beneficiaries
Speaking during a stakeholder panel, Deputy National President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Mrs Abimbola Oyetunde, said the initiative could support trade and the movement of people and goods across West Africa.
She also noted that a more harmonised identification system could help reduce some of the challenges and stigma travellers experience at border posts.
Nigeria began rolling out the ENBIC through the Nigeria Immigration Service in November 2025.
At the regional level, ECOWAS is working towards the mutual acceptance of the biometric card across air, land and sea borders.
The broader objective is to combine easier travel clearance with effective immigration controls, creating a system that gives citizens, traders and businesses clearer and more predictable access to legitimate cross-border movement within the West African region.
By Ebere Obike
