New technology to curtail falsification of National ID cards

The institution of a new National Identity Card is to protect all forms of falsification that has been ongoing in Cameroon.

This was the main outcome of an agreement by the Delegate General for National Security, Martin Mbarga Nguele, and the Executive Director General in charge of Government programmes of the French company, Gemalto, signed in Yaounde recently.

According to Martin Mbarga Nguele by instituting a new identification system, Government intends to arrest the current chaotic situation whereas over three million fake national identity cards are said to be in the hands of unscrupulous people.

The bid, insiders hold, is equally intended to halt the current auctioning of Cameroon nationality. Millions of foreigners, especially Nigerians, Malians, Chadians, Central Africans, who have not naturalised at all, possess the Cameroonian national identity card.

According to sources at the Delegation of National Security, the new identification system will be galvanised against the weaknesses of the present one.

The deal in which Gemalto Director, Frederic Trojani, signed on behalf of his company, is the trickle down of negotiations government initiated with the French company in 2014.

Given the delicate and crucial nature of the new identification system, many government structures will be involved in the process. They include the Presidency of the Republic, the General Delegation of the National Security, the Ministry of Finance , Ministry of the Economy, Planning, Programming and Regional Development.

Also, Going by the Delegate General for National Security, the institution of the new national identity card will help Cameroon to close a sad page wherein ju anybody can acquire the Cameroonian national identity card and become a citizen overnight. Worse still, many people own more than one card. This is an indication that the current system is dangerously vulnerable to fraud.

This is an indication that the current system is dangerously vulnerable to fraud.In order to get rid of the mess, the new company is expected to fully diagnose the weaknesses of the current identification system. Observers, however, hold that such a lofty initiative will come to naught, if the authorities do not check the issuing of fake birth certificates to foreigners all over the country.

To them, the issue is even more challenging, given that, the forces of law and order who are expected to protect the Cameroonian nationality are sometimes the same ones fronting the rackets that enable foreigners to acquire Cameroonian identity cards.

Again,the French company is expected to produce documents that are galvanised against falsification. Besides the national identity card, Gemalto will also produce refugee status cards; residence permits, professional cards of the staff of the General Delegation of National Security and cards of the retired personnel of the General Delegation of the National Security.

By virtue of the agreement, the production of the identification cards will be done through a well decentralised network. There will be a central production centre in Yaounde, as well as, a secondary production unit in Garoua for the three Northern Regions.

There will be 350 identification centres in the country, 50 mobile posts in the headquarters of the remaining seven Regions.

The authorities have created a technical committee to ensure the institution of the new identification system. It is expected to formulate an efficient procedure, prepare clear texts and propose a system of security.

The current national ID card will be withdrawn eventually after the new system would have been fully installed.