The ECOWAS Brown Card Scheme is equivalent of the Green Card in the European Community, the Pink Card of the Arab countries and Yellow Card within the East African Economic bloc.
This was revealed by the CEO & General Secretary of Ghana Bureau of the ECOWAS Brown Card Insurance Scheme, Mr. Gabriel Glover, at Aflao and Ho in the Volta Region when he held a capacity building seminar for stakeholders drawn from the Ghana Immigration Service, Police MTTU, Freight Forwarders and others recently.
The purpose of the workshop was to educate stakeholders on the Scheme’s operations and the role stakeholders need to play to make it effective for the benefit of our citizens.
The ECOWAS Brown Card Scheme helps to promote free movement of persons and goods within the sub-region. It plays an important role in the integration process, and promotes trade in the region.
“The ECOWAS Brown Card Insurance Scheme was established by Protocol on the free movement of persons and goods across national boundaries of ECOWAS member-states. The Brown Card scheme is equivalent of the Green Card in the European community, the Pink Card of the Arab countries and the Yellow Card within the East African Economic block. It is one of the first protocols to be implemented since the birth of ECOWAS in 1975,” Mr. Glover explained.
The CEO said that Ghana established the National Bureau in 1988 and it has been operational to date. The Ghana National Bureau is made up of Insurance companies licenced to underwrite motor insurance business in Ghana.
The new secured ECOWAS Brown Card, which is an improved certificate expected to curb the use of fake Brown Cards in the system, was shown to the participants. The new Brown Card is a single leaflet format with security features, with a hologram, and printed in invisible ink visible only under ultra-violet light. It has on spot check watermarked with a two colour secured fluorescent fiber inlaid.
The ECOWAS Brown Card team will continue the educational programme in the Western Region today and Friday.