The New National Biometric Identity Card: soon in place

The Consortium Shanghai Gongsi-The Third Research Institute of the Ministry of Public Security of China signed a contract with Burundi Government for designing, making and producing the National Biometric Identity Card on March 14th 2013- by Yves Didier Irakoze

Térence Mbonabuca: “The one which existed before according to me had a person’s identification purpose but this one is a small and concise document having many identification elements and easy to carry.”©Iwacu

 According to Térence Mbonabuca, Director General of Administration of Territory in the Ministry of Local Affairs, this new card will be given to all Burundians at the age of voting, that is from 16 years old and more before the 2015’ elections.
“This new card will cost 3. 88 dollars, i.e. around 6,000 Burundian Francs and he informs that the budget is already collected in order to deliver the first new identity cards and that the first equipments have arrived. These ones have served in basic training for those who will be recruited as recording agents in thirteen communes of Bujumbura City Council before going upcountry,” he highlights.

Concerning the question that this new card is more expensive than the current one and that it will be difficult for an ordinary citizen to get it, Mbonabuca says that it is expensive for someone who doesn’t get easily what to feed himself.
“We will ask all Burundians to make effort and sensitize people about the importance of owning this document because it is necessary and prestigious in the life of any citizen as it is a sovereignty document,” states Mbonabuca.
The General Director reveals that the total cost of that process is BIF 224 million; it will start from 2013to end in 2017.“The government has voted BIF135 million in 2013 budget for the process but the total cost till 2017will be BIF 224 million. We are convinced that the government will be able to fulfill its engagement towards the Company that won the market,” declares Mbonabuca.

Different from the current identity card

According to Mbonabuca, after long negotiations and exchanges between Burundian authorities and the Chinese Institute, they have agreed on the elements which will appear on the card and memory card: name, forename, sex, date of birthday, province, commune, current residence, names and forenames of parents , names and forenames of children, number of medical assistance card, number of affiliation card at “Mutuelle de la Fonction Publique”, number of affiliation card at Social Security National Institute.

He adds that it will also contain the number of service card, number of police or military card, land property, building property, number of bank account, number of polling card, birthday geographic code, owners’ picture, fingerprint, judicial situation or incurred trials, last residence, profession, passport number, driving license number, marital status and blood group.
Mbonabuca also highlights that the new national biometric identity card will have other advantages.

“The one which existed before according to me had a person’s identification purpose but this one is a small and concise document having many identification elements and easy to carry,” points out Mbonabuca.
He goes on saying that it will be difficult now to cheat with the new one. For instance, it will be impossible to be in possession of more than one identity card as it is common today. Cheaters and criminals will be detected very easily, because of ICT (Information Communication Technology). Moreover, it won’t be possible to forge the card.
He concludes that this new card will also allow Burundians to travel in other East African countries without a passport or a pass.