The Price of Being a Citizen: Is Ecobank Capitalising on the National ID Card Process?
Ecobank Senegambia Branch and National ID Card Charges © Askanwi Media
By Askanwi Media
A National Identification Card may officially cost D450; however, our investigation has proven that is not actually the case, with the National ID Card costing more than announced. According to a statement from the Office of the President, signed by the Government Spokesperson, “The fee for a first-time National Identity Card is D450 to be paid at any Ecobank branch across the country”.
Following the commencement of the National ID Card application process, this medium received complaints from members of the public about the way payments were being handled at Ecobank’s Senegambia branch. The complaints suggested that applicants who wanted to pay the D450 National ID Card fee over the counter were instead being encouraged to download the Ecobank Mobile Application to make their payment.
To independently verify these complaints, our reporters visited both Ecobank Senegambia and Ecobank Kairaba branches to make payments for National ID Cards.
Different Experiences at Two Ecobank Branches
At Ecobank Kairaba, our reporter was allowed to pay the National ID Card fee over the counter without being encouraged to download or use the Ecobank Mobile App.
The experience at Ecobank Senegambia was markedly different.
Our reporter visited the Senegambia branch to make the payment but was urged to use the Ecobank Mobile App instead. When they declined to make the payment through the application, they were refused this opportunity and ended up paying through the Ecobank Mobile App.
During the visit, our reporter witnessed another applicant being turned away after indicating that they did not have a smartphone. They were urged to return with a friend or relative with a smartphone to register and pay via the Ecobank Mobile App.
To further verify what our reporter had experienced, another reporter visited the Ecobank Senegambia branch and recorded footage of the interaction.
In the footage, an Ecobank staff member informs our reporter that payments for the National ID Card could only be made through the Ecobank Mobile App. Even after explaining that a colleague had successfully paid over the counter at Ecobank Kairaba, the staff member maintained that everyone was required to pay through the application.
When Askanwi showed the footage to the Gambia Immigration Department’s (GID) Acting Spokesperson Inspector Ansumana Cham and asked him what their department will do about the observations, this was his response.
“From the video, what I can say is that we still have to refer ourselves back like I stated. It’s not that GID chooses Ecobank or asks Ecobank how to do the payment processes. So, what we may do is try to engage the authorities on such things and see, but we have little say on how Ecobank operates in terms of payments. But we will do our engagements surely.”
Is the ID Card Process Being Used to Acquire New Customers?
Askanwi managed to communicate with Ecobank’s senior management staff for clarification and to seek the bank’s response to our footage. During the course of the investigation, Askanwi had one meeting each with the Ecobank Senegambia Branch Manager and senior officials at the Ecobank Kairaba Branch. After our meetings we received a written response to our questions from the Ecobank Kairaba Branch.
When asked why applicants requesting to pay over the counter at the Ecobank Senegambia Branch were being denied that opportunity, as shown in the footage this is what they had to say.
“National ID Card payments can be made in-branch over-the-counter, through the Ecobank Mobile App and Ecobank Xpress Point agents. Customers should not be turned away where an approved payment channel is available. We are reviewing the circumstances surrounding the observations made at the Senegambia Branch to ensure consistent service delivery and guidance across all our branches.”
Our observations at the Ecobank Senegambia Branch raised several concerns around the practice of directing applicants to the Ecobank Mobile App.
First, requiring applicants to use the application potentially excludes people who do not own smartphones or who are unable or unwilling to download the application. It also requires applicants to depend on friends, relatives or other third parties with smartphones to make a payment on their behalf.
Askanwi asked Ecobank if applicants have to register to use their Ecobank Mobile App.
They responded, “Yes. Access to the Ecobank Mobile App requires a registered Ecobank account number, and non-Ecobank customers are encouraged to enrol using our Xpress Account, which requires just a phone number and has no monthly bank charges”.
This confirmed that applicants who are not already Ecobank customers are required to complete an Xpress account registration process before they can pay through the application.
Askanwi sought clarification from Ecobank if they are using the National ID Card payment process as a strategy to grow their customer base at the Senegambia Branch.
This was denied outright, with Ecobank explaining, “No. The National ID Card payment service is provided as part of Ecobank's role in facilitating collections on behalf of the Government of The Gambia and is not intended as a customer acquisition initiative”.
The Additional Cost Question
Askanwi observed different charges after making two payments for National ID Cards, with one payment made using the Ecobank Mobile App and another made over the counter at the Ecobank Kairaba Branch. As shown in the receipts above, Askanwi initially believed that one reporter paid D450 via the Ecobank Mobile App, and another paid D460 over the counter at the Ecobank Kairaba Branch.
However, when Askanwi showed Ecobank the two receipts and questioned the different payment amounts, Ecobank revealed that online payments incur a D15 charge. Our reporter, who made the payment over the Ecobank Mobile App through an Ecobank staff member in Senegambia, was not informed of the additional charges before making the payment.
According to Ecobank, “The National ID Card application fee is D450. For payments made over the counter at an Ecobank branch, a D10 transaction service fee is added, bringing the total amount payable to D460. Payments made through the Ecobank Mobile App and Ecobank Xpress Point agents attract a D15 transaction service fee, bringing the total amount payable to D465.”
When Askanwi queried the reasons for the additional charges, Ecobank revealed that “these transaction service fees are intended to cover the cost of platform integration and the associated processing infrastructure required to facilitate the collection service. The National ID Card fee itself remains D450”.
This confirms that applicants are paying more than the announced D450, with those paying through the Ecobank Mobile App paying D15 more. But this was not the only issue, as applicants using the Ecobank Mobile App are also required to have a minimum amount in their app.
Askanwi questioned if applicants have to maintain additional funds on the Ecobank Mobile App to pay for their National ID Card.
In response, Ecobank explained that “customers using the Ecobank Mobile App must maintain sufficient funds in their account to cover the National ID Card application fee and the applicable transaction service fee. Where a customer is opening a new account, the applicable account opening requirements and minimum operating balance associated with the account type selected will apply. The Xpress Account earlier mentioned currently has no minimum account balance”.
Askanwi was informed that Ecobank Mobile App customer had to maintain a minimum account balance of D50. This meant that applicants needed to have at least D450 + D15 + D50 (D515) to be able to pay for their National ID Card. According to Ecobank’s written response, the D50 minimum amount has been brought down to zero, but this has not been independently verified.
Ultimately, this means that a process advertised as requiring a “D450 payment” actually requires a minimum of D460 over the counter and D465 via the Ecobank Mobile App.
But Ecobank is not the only one offering the mobile money service to pay for National ID Cards. In their response they explained that they are “currently working with a partner called Waychit on the National ID project, and other partners are currently in various stages of the onboarding process”. Askanwi used the Waychit App, as shown below, which shows the additional D15 fee.
For applicants who simply want to pay the government-prescribed fee of D450 and obtain their National ID Card, this could represent an additional hurdle.
Waychit App payment shows D450 plus D15 fee © Askanwi
What Does Ecobank Say?
The key issue is not whether Ecobank provides a mobile payment option. The Ecobank Mobile App may offer existing Ecobank customers a convenient way to make payments.
The question is whether applicants at the Ecobank Senegambia branch are being denied the option to pay over the counter when they can make the same payment over the counter at another Ecobank.
Askanwi asked if Ecobank is capitalising on the National ID Card process to build its customer base and increase the rate of transactions via the Ecobank Mobile App.
This was refuted by Ecobank, who explained that “No. Ecobank's role is to provide secure and efficient payment channels for the collection of National ID Card application fees. The availability of digital payment options is intended to provide customers with additional payment choices and convenience while supporting the overall payment collection process”.
This publication into the National ID Card application process highlights that applicants are paying more than the government’s announced fees, with some paying even more through the Mobile Money Apps.
Askanwi is aware that Ecobank signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the government back in August 2024 to launch a digital payment gateway for revenue collection which includes payments for National ID Cards.
In this regard, if any additional charges are to be made, this should have been clearly communicated with applicants. Our next publication in this series focuses on the challenges applicants face at the Immigration Department to enrol and get their National ID Cards printed.
Read the first publication in this series in the link: The Price of Being a Citizen: Capitalising on the National ID Card Application Process.
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