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ID4Africa is a multi-stakeholder, Identity-for-All Movement that promotes the transparent and responsible adoption of digital identity in the service of development in Africa. The aim is to share experience and establish real world best practices that set the correct expectations for what is involved in launching and sustaining successful identity programs.
Africa’s economic growth is accelerating but the benefits are unevenly distributed. For social development to match economic growth and generate long-term gains, inclusiveness is essential. There is a clear need for robust national systems that provide identity to all Africans, ensuring that everyone can access government services and benefits, prove their eligibility and be included in Africa’s democracy and economic take-off.
The Mission
While in broad terms, ID4Africa is a movement to promote the responsible adoption of modern digital identity systems as drivers of socio-economic development, the mission consists of 5 specific modules of activities:
The Annual Meeting: Forum & Expo
A central component of the ID4Africa movement is the annual meeting which allows the movement to define the agenda year after year and to achieve the stated objectives. This annual meeting is a forum and expo focused on digital identity and its applications for driving socio-economic development in Africa. It is held each year in a different African country that will act as a host for the event and it reunites, under one place, four key stakeholder groups in the identity space:
The identity authorities and users in African countries
The international development agencies
The solution providers
The domain experts
The ID4Africa Forum
Is comprehensive in its coverage of identity issues involved from foundational identity programs such as national ID and civil registration, to functional applications such as the use of digital identity in social protection and labor, elections, health care, mobile payments, to improving national security, border management and population management of refugees and other migratory groups. The forum serves capacity building, where African delegates could learn about their options and explain their problems and challenges and seek input and advice from domain experts and vendors. It is also an opportunity for the international development agencies and donors to gain insight into trends and needs in their focus practices and geographic zones in order to help in their engagement planning and development.
The ID4Africa Expo
Brings together, in conjunction with the Forum, the world’s leading solution providers under one roof. It is the largest in Africa and it gives the attendees the opportunity to see and experience first-hand the wide range of innovations related to identification technologies, biometrics, mobile solutions, smart cards, system integration, Identity-related information systems, authentication and general identification systems.
Community and Knowledge Exchange
ID4Africa is creating a community of concerned parties and individuals who understand that robust digital identity systems can accelerate inclusiveness, growth and socio-economic development in Africa. Initially the annual meeting will serve as the focal point for knowledge exchange and networking between stakeholders. In time the ID4Africa movement will include further opportunities for people and organizations to meet, discuss challenges, explore solutions and use digital identity to further social and economic development in Africa.
Gabon has taken a prominent role in shaping Africa's digital identity landscape through its active participation in the ID4Africa 2025 Annual General Meeting. Represented by the National Agency for Digital Infrastructures and Frequencies (ANINF), the Central African nation is contributing its expertise to continental discussions on scaling digital identity systems for greater societal impact.
Under the leadership of Director General Alberto Mounguengui Moudoki, who serves as ID4Africa's Ambassador for Gabon, the country is showcasing its pioneering work in digital identity systems at the gathering of 48 African nations. This year's theme, "Digital identity at scale: prioritizing use, accelerating impact," aligns perfectly with Gabon's national efforts to leverage digital ID as a catalyst for public service transformation.
During the summit, Gabon's delegation is highlighting its successful implementation of the Personal Identifier system, a strategic initiative that has become a cornerstone of the nation's digital governance framework. The country's experience with data-sharing platforms offers valuable insights for other African nations seeking to establish robust digital identity ecosystems.
"Gabon's participation in ID4Africa 2025 demonstrates our commitment to both digital sovereignty and continental cooperation," stated DG Moudoki. "By sharing our experiences with the Personal Identifier system, we hope to contribute to Africa's collective progress toward inclusive digital transformation."
The nation's strategic engagement at the summit reinforces its position as an active player in Africa's digital revolution. Gabon's digital identity initiatives are proving instrumental in enhancing service delivery, improving governance, and strengthening the country's digital infrastructure – key components of its emerging digital economy.
As ID4Africa continues to serve as a crucial platform for knowledge exchange and collaboration, Gabon's contributions are helping shape policies and best practices that will drive digital inclusion across the continent. The summit outcomes are expected to accelerate Gabon's own digital transformation while fostering greater regional integration in digital identity management systems.
WHAT IS ID4AFRICA?
ID4Africa is an “ID-4-All movement” aiming to help African nations “develop robust and responsible ID
ecosystems around digital identity in the service of development, humanitarian action, security &
facilitation.”
The movement’s members include representatives from African governments, development agencies
& industry. Its motivation is “the need to promote legal identity for all in Africa (consistent with SDG
16.9) & to empower individuals to claim their rights & to benefit from the fruits of development.”
WHAT IS LEGAL IDENTITY?
Legal identity is the legal recognition of the basic characteristics of an individual’s identity—e.g. name,
sex, place and date of birth, family ties—by an authorized civil registration authority following a major
life event (i.e. birth, marriage, divorce, adoption, death).
If a person is not registered at birth or given a birth certificate, they may be able to acquire a legal
identity by a government issued or legally recognized identification authority, such as the case for
some refugees or non-nationals.
THE UNITED NATIONS LEGAL IDENTITY AGENDA
The United Nations Legal Identity Agenda 2020- 2030 (UN LIA), backed by the Deputy Secretary-
General, was launched as a “One UN” approach to:
— establish a common approach to the issue of functional registration and legal identity with the
World Bank Group; and
— to support of Member States building holistic, country-owned, sustainable civil registration,
vital statistics and identity management systems.
Building on existing systems and structures, these UN LIA’s efforts to reduce the global identity gap will
be closely coordinated across shared value sectors in health and proven interventions aimed at
accelerating progress towards Sustainable Development Goal target 16.9—legal identity for all, including
birth registration—and SDG 17.19, which aims to support statistical capacity-building.
CALL FOR COMMITMENTS
High-level political commitment from Member States and sufficient support from the development
community will be critical to reach the benchmark goal of ‘closing the global identity gap by 300 million
by 2025.’
Plans are currently underway to set-up a UN LIA Multi-Partner Trust Fund to facilitate a cohesive
approach across the UN system to respond to the requests for support from Member States to
strengthen their legal identity policy and programming at the national, regional and global levels. This
MPTF will allow major funding and development partners supporting efforts across the UN system to
pool resources and maximize investments.
LEGAL IDENTITY FOR ALL: A GAME-CHANGER TO ACCELERATE PROGRESS
Legal identity is a fundamental human right. We cannot hope to achieve the SDGs without closing the global
identity gap and ensuring we are truly leaving no one behind.
Legal identity—starting from birth—is a game-changer for accelerating progress towards reaching the SDGs.
— In sub-Saharan Africa, around 95 million children under 5 never had their births recorded, and 120
million children don’t have a birth certificate.
Legal identity helps protect against violence, exploitation, abuse & neglect. Without proof of legal identity,
individuals may not be able to acquire a nationality and become stateless.
If we are to unlock the full potential of the world’s population, we must take a life-cycle approach to identity
starting from birth and ending with death.
In many countries, proof of legal identity ensures access to education, health care & social services, which in turn
helps to break the pervasive cycle of poverty and inequality.
Without proof of legal identity, individuals—especially women & children—may be forced to resort to
participation in informal labour market, and risk being subjected to extremely poor working conditions, trafficking,
sexual exploitation, & lack of access to justice.
Legal identity for all is not only the sustainable solution for closing the global identity gap, but the key to fulfilling
the promise to “leave no one behind” and realizing in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Registration systems must be universal and accessible, without discrimination that might prevent or deter
marginalized populations from being able to register vital events on a basis of their gender, ethnicity,
nationality, or religion.
INVEST IN SAFE, SUSTAINABLE, EFFECTIVE CIVIL REGISTRATION SYSTEMS
Sufficient financial resources must be allocated to build sustainable, universal and inclusive civil registration
systems. Efforts should focus on modernizing and expanding access to legal identity and civil registration
systems.
Civil registration data can help to track and measure progress towards the SDGs.
States should cover the cost of civil registration systems, including fees associated with registration and waivers
for fines for late registration. Civil registrars must also be adequately paid to reduce reliance on bribes and
hidden fees.
Data privacy must be protected through regulatory measures for all registration and identity systems, both
digital and traditional.
Coordination among the various actors is critical to pool and mobilize resources, while avoiding duplication of
efforts.
Registering births and deaths is critical to improving public health. Without an effective system to register births,
deaths and causes of deaths, Governments miss out on vital information that can help to accurately monitor
and respond to child health concerns.
Children whose births and deaths are not registered are missed from CRVS systems, leading to under-
estimations of newborn and child mortality.
— Across Africa, only 1 in 4 newborns are registered at birth, and account for the highest rate of child
mortality—with most dying from preventable and treatable countries.
Without a birth certificate, or other forms of legal identity, a child may not be able to access health care or
services in many countries, with serious implications for combating illness, injuries and disability.
Without death registration we do not know who, where or from what, people are dying, impeding the ability to
provide life-saving interventions.
Legislation must be reviewed and revised to combat discriminatory laws and policies restricting women’s ability
to register their children at birth or access health services without their husband present.
Birth registration provides legal documentation needed to protect against child marriage, which is often
correlated with early pregnancies and childbearing.
— More than 1 in 3 young women living in sub-Saharan Africa today were married in childhood, and 1 in 9
were married before their 15th birthday.
POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS AND INNOVATIONS FOR CLOSING THIS IDENTITY GAP
Through innovation and investment in research for sustainable, effective solutions, we can drive progress to
close the global identity gap and fulfil our promise to leave no one behind.
There's no one size fits all. Digital registration systems must be adapted to each country's needs.
We cannot measure annual progress without secure, consistent data collection from vital statistics collected by
public health programs at all levels. By registering births and deaths, we can better calculate health indicators,
e.g. life expectancy, fertility, mortality rates/ratios and causes of death.
— Policies must be changed to close the gap & ensure the most vulnerable are counted:
o Nearly half the countries in sub-Saharan Africa require births to be registered within a month or less.
o Death registration can be as short as 24 hours in some sub-Saharan countries.
By integrating birth registration systems with health services, we can remove obstacles to access and increase
awareness from day one for families and individuals.
LEAVE NO ONE BEHIND, NO MATTER THE SETTING
Unaccompanied or separated children are especially vulnerable and often lack any documents establishing their
identity, which puts them at higher risk for statelessness.
Birth registration can protect refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) against risks such as family
separation, trafficking, illegal adoption and the possible denial of their rights to health and education.
A digital system protects birth records from being destroyed in an emergency.
Birth registration helps to prevent statelessness because it establishes a legal record as to where an individual
was born and who his/her parents are, elements of information key to proving entitlement to nationality.
Proof of legal identity is critical for those individuals or families seeking to reacquire their property, land and/or
inheritance if/when they return to their homes after fleeing or being forcibly evacuated due to conflict or crises.
Children from the poorest areas in the world are the least likely to have a legal identity, leaving them invisible,
uncounted & left behind.
How can you find a missing child who has no record of existence? Birth certificates help protect children against
trafficking.
Numerous third world countries are continuing the global push of implementing biometric identification systems for their citizens and incorporate these systems into digital ID smartphone apps for increased tracking abilities. Behind this push are globalist organizations such as the World Bank and the World Economic Forum. Notably, a digital ID app could be theoretically shut off if the user fails to meet specific requirements, such as vaccination update schedules, although this has not happened, yet.
The ID4AFRICA event going on between May 20-23 in Ethiopia “unites the global identity community to advance the ID4D agenda, and to explore how digital identity and aligned services can support Africa’s socio-economic development and individual empowerment.”
Language on the site says that ‘stakeholders’ are able to attend the event – the word ‘stakeholder’ likely referencing the new globalist economy of ‘stakeholder capitalism‘ that the World Economic Forum promotes.
“The ID4Africa AGM welcomes participation from all stakeholder groups,” the ID4AFRICA about page said.
The ID4D agenda is an operation by the World Bank to roll out digital identification systems globally to help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are part of the United Nation’s Agenda 2030 plans for a world government.
“According to the ID4D Dataset, approximately 850 million people lack official ID, and 3.3 billion do not have access to digital ID for official transactions online. The ID4D Initiative works with countries towards reducing this staggering number, and ensure that identification systems are accessible, protect people’s rights and data, and capable of facilitating transactions in the digital age,” the organization said.
In addition to Ghana, Venezuela, Ivory Coast, Edo State, Nigeria and Iraq which take biometrics of voters, a number of other third world countries are now implementing systems which are wider reaching in both scope and use case.
Regarding African nations, numerous stats and figures were discussed at the ID4AFRICA event which reveal the progression of these identification systems in the third world continent, according to Biometric Update.
“One curious ambition is Somalia’s where the country launched its national digital ID system only two years ago with the help of Pakistan’s National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), but is hoping to enroll 15 million citizens by the end of this year.”
“For Mauritania, the country has been able to enroll more than 94 percent of the population for national ID since a new ID system was put in place in 2020.”
“Tanzania’s Director of ID management at the National Identification Authority (NIDA), Edson Guyai, said the country, as of today, has registered over 25 million individuals for the national ID, which accounts for 81 percent of the adult population. He added that so far, the ID system has been integrated by over 124 public and private institutions with verification services having generated around $45.4 million.”
“Benin’s own story was told by the Director General of the National Agency for the Identification of Persons, Aristide Adjinacou, who explained the country’s journey in transforming identity management and civil registration. “Our story is one of bold reforms, deep integration, and pragmatic innovation,” he said, citing the numerous national ID reforms which have taken place in the country since 2016.”
“The Principal Secretary of Malawi’s National Registration Bureau, Mphatso Sambo, took attendees through his country’s ID experience. He said between 2015 and 2025, Malawi has undergone huge evolution in terms of modernizing its ID architecture through several efforts including enhancing ID access in rural communities, push for child registration, and putting in place a sustainable financing and management plan.”
Additionally, Namibia has already established a biometric identification program and is working to roll out a digital ID system.
Uganda is now targeting 33 million citizens for “mass ID registration” that includes iris scanning. The program will begin May 27.
Ethiopia, the host of the 2025 ID4AFRICA event, already enrolled over 15 million people in their ‘Fayda ID’ fingerprint system, and hopes to reach a target of 90 million registrations by 2030.
Liberia has now made it mandatory for all citizens and residents to enroll in the National Biometric Identification System (NBIS) which includes fingerprinting.
Outside of Africa, other third world countries are implementing similar systems.
Cambodia updated their ID card registration process to include the collection of fingerprints, iris scans, face biometrics and voice prints.
Guyana is preparing to issue their new biometric ID cards and is planning on a digital ID system as well.
Sri Lanka is working on a biometric identification card which includes fingerprint, iris and facial recognition technologies.
Pakistan has updated their biometric identification system to work with a new digital ID system.
Mexico is rolling out a biometric identification system which includes fingerprints, iris scans and facial recognition photographs.
While not exactly a third world country, Greece launched a digital ID for children to access, or not access, age-restricted content.
Numerous first would countries such as the U.K. and most U.S. states have launched similar programs, with most European countries already collecting biometrics on all their citizens and visitors for identification, while financial institutions like Visa and MasterCard are taking the biometric plunge as well.
One inherent danger of biometric identification is that the data cannot be altered if compromised, such as with a database hack.
Another danger is that the biometric data, such as fingerprints, could be copied and left on a staged crime scene, implicating targeted individuals. Facial recognition images could be fed into A.I. software to create fake surveillance camera video of a targeted individual conducting a crime.
After the full global implementation of biometric systems has taken effect and these facts become apparent, a likely scenario will be a new push for the global microchip implantation of the human race, as microchips can have their information altered upon being compromised.
American company VeriChip Corporation developed an early version of this system when they debuted an implantable human microchip called the VeriChip in the early 2000s with the express purpose of identifying patients in the medical setting as well as identifying children.
“The VeriChip is injected under the skin of the upper arm or hip in an outpatient procedure. A special scanner reads the RF signal emitted by the microchip to obtain the device’s ID number, which then is entered into a database to access personal data about the individual,” Wired Magazine said in 2003. “Other potential uses of the chip, according to company officials, include scanning unconscious patients to obtain their medical records or restricting access to high-security buildings by scanning workers to verify their clearance.”
While identifying people through more secure methods is not inherently malicious, the problem arises with the agendas and motives of the individuals in control of these systems.
Also:
Gabon advances digital transformation agenda at ID4Africa 2025 Summit
Also:
UN Legal Identity Agenda - ID4Africa 2019 Toolkit: Legal Identity for All
Also:
Third World Countries Continue Rolling Out Digital Biometric IDs as ID4AFRICA Agenda is Underway
