Burundi promises biometric ID cards before 2025
Burundi will spare no effort in providing its residents with biometric identity cards before the 2025 elections, the Ministry of Interior says.
The project is at an advanced stage, according to Interior Minister Martin Niteretse, who recently addressed local media. The new biometric IDs will replace paper ones and are seen as a critical requirement for the democratic process in the East African country, helping prevent multiple voting, age misrepresentation and electoral fraud. The card will also function as a travel document among Burundi’s East African neighbors that have signed on to regional agreements on free movement.
Burundi’s ID cards will store fingerprint biometrics, along with demographic information and a facial photograph.
The country has held successful trials for printing biometric cards and disseminated the necessary equipment to 11 pilot municipalities. But the project has also seen long delays: Registrations to obtain biometric IDs started in 2013.
The new IDs are also meant to curb fraud, simplify travel and increase the digitalization of the state. Burundians have been taking advantage of the old cards to escape legal proceedings, hide their marital status and commit other types of fraud, according to the Minister.
The biometric ID will come with a unique identifier that the holder will use for life.
In 2022, research by ICT think tank CIPESA called out African governments for allegedly collecting, storing and managing biometric data of their citizens without appropriate mechanisms to ensure data protection and privacy. Burundi was one of the countries mentioned in the report.
