By Fatou Sillah
The Gambian government has approved a 10-year validity period for newly issued national identity cards, marking a significant shift in the country’s identity management system, the Ministry of Interior said.
The change is part of a new National Identity Management System agreement signed between the Ministry of Interior and Margins ID Systems Ltd., a private technology firm tasked with implementing a modern, biometric-based identification framework.
Under the first phase of the agreement, the government will begin the mass enrollment of citizens and residents into the new system, replacing existing national identity cards as part of the transition. The ministry said holders of currently valid ID cards will receive replacements at no cost.
The new system is being rolled out through a public-private partnership structured under a build, cooperate, and transfer model. Officials say the approach is intended to improve the security, efficiency, and reliability of the country’s identity card infrastructure.
In a statement, the ministry said the partnership would deliver a “secure, scalable, and integrated” identity system, including e-identity cards that are compliant with standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization.
According to the agreement, the project will run for eight years, during which Margins ID Systems Ltd. will fully finance, build, and operate the system and its supporting infrastructure. At the end of the period, all assets will be transferred to the government.
The Interior Ministry said the introduction of the 10-year validity period aligns with the government’s broader effort to modernize public service delivery while strengthening internal security nationwide.
Officials described the initiative as a cornerstone of ongoing reforms aimed at streamlining administrative processes and enhancing the integrity of national identification systems.
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