In a move that indicates further severance of relations with the regional body, the government of Burkina Faso has unveiled a new generation biometric instead of the old generation ECOWAS passport.
This moves puts pay to any likelihood of the French speaking West African country rejoining the ECOWAS fold despite appeals by regional authorities for a change of stand.
The new passport, unlike the one of the old generation, doesn’t carry the ECOWAS Logo or any related inscriptions on its cover page.
The new passport is produced by Emptech a Chinese biometrics technology company.
Following harsh sanctions due to military coups, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger—three West African nations currently under military rule—announced in January that they would be leaving the 15-member ECOWAS bloc.
Reuters quotes the country’s Security Minister Mahamaou Sana as affirming that “on this passport, there’s no ECOWAS logo, and no mention of ECOWAS either.”
The government official adds that “since January, Burkina Faso has decided to withdraw from this body, and this is just a realisation of the action already taken by Burkina Faso.”
The ECOWAS bloc has a policy on visa-free movement for nationals of member states using either the ECOWAS passport or the regional biometric ID implemented under the World Bank-supported (West Africa Unique Identification for Regional Integration and Inclusion (WURI) program. Burkina Faso and Niger were among the first six ECOWAS countries to benefit from the WURI initiative.
When the countries announced their departure from ECOWAS early in the year, regional officials raised concerns that citizens of the three countries will no longer be able to use the regional passport and ID card.
According to Burkina 24 TV, Arzouma Daouda Parfait Louré, the director general of the National Identification Agency, stated at the passport’s launch early this month that the accomplishment is the result of a procedure that began in 2022. He said that the outdated passport production system, in use since 2018, had undergone a comprehensive diagnosis.
The new passports will be produced with technology of the latest generation and in line with security standards for travel documents prescribed by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the official explained.
The head of the ID agency announced that one of the latest developments is that people can now apply online for passports using an easily customizable and streamlined data collection method. The passport application process may be tracked by applicants, and passports can be issued in as little as 24 hours, regardless of where the applicant is located in the world.
It is speculated that funding for this project may have come the $150 million World Bank’s International Development Association approved funding for Burkina Faso earlier this year to enable the West African country to its digital public infrastructure.
