=Burkina: a new biometric passport launched without the mention or logo of ECOWAS

The new latest generation biometric passport, equipped with an electronic chip for data collection and storage, was launched on Tuesday without the ECOWAS logo or mention.The new Burkinabe biometric passport has several particularities compared to the old one, notably the absence of the ECOWAS mention and logo, indicated the Minister of Security, Mahamadou Sana, quoted by the Burkina24 website.According to him, this new document will allow online pre-registration, flexible registration in connected or disconnected mode, instant transmission of data to embassies, and increased security.The Minister of Security clarified that the old passport remains valid until it expires.Mahamadou Sana also reassured that the price of the new passport remains fixed at 50,000 FCFA as for the old one, but that certain amenities around the new passport may be subject to taxes.The new identification document is made from polycarbonate, explained the Director General (DG) of the National Identification Office (ONI), Par fait Louré.It is a Chinese company, Emptech, which is the designer, within the framework of a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) with the State. "The new passport belongs to the latest generation of passports recommended by international civil aviation authorities," he specified.According to the DG of ONI, this new passport, which is the culmination of a process launched in 2022, makes Burkina Faso the first country in West Africa and the 10th in Africa to acquire a state-of-the-art identification document.Source: Burkina Information Agency