The Gambia Begins Nationwide Rollout of Biometric National ID

The Gambia has launched enrollment for its new biometric national ID card, GAM ID, starting in the Greater Banjul area under a public-private partnership with Ghana's Margins ID Group, which will build and manage the system before handing it to the government. Officials describe the card as essential for accessing public and private services, part of a broader West African shift away from fragmented identity systems toward interoperable, centralized biometric registries. This reflects the steady global spread of mandatory biometric identity infrastructure as a gateway to everyday participation in economic and civic life.