Sectoral digital ID cards requested in India, Ghana, advance in Ethiopia

Roadside and pushcart vendors in India have written a petition asking the Union government to issue them biometric ID cards so they can be able to go about their business transactions smoothly.

In Ghana, there are calls for the government to issue digital ID cards to duly registered fishermen to reduce fuel fraud.

Meanwhile, in Ethiopia, a deal has just been concluded for the commencement of the second phase of a project to issue one million digital IDs to students and teachers by the end of this year.

ID cards for Indian roadside vendors

According to The Hindu, the call was made in a petition submitted during a recent weekly grievances meeting.

Headed by CPI district secretary S. Kasi Viswanathan, the petitioners say the issuance of the cards will allow them the opportunity to obtain bank loans for their businesses.

The report recalls that the Union government had made the biometric cards mandatory for obtaining loans by businesses, but the roadside and pushcart vendors are yet to get their cards since they applied for them.

Ghanaian fishermen solicit biometric ID cards

Ghana’s Central Regional Fishermen and Fishmongers Association (CENFA) is calling on the administration of President Nana Akufo-Addo to issue digital ID cards to canoe owners to facilitate their business.

Business Ghana cites a statement signed by CENFA Chairman Francis Kwofie Adams which mentions that issuing the cards to fishermen will also help reduce cases of fraud by middlemen in the sale of premix fuel.

Premix fuel is a petroleum product used by fishermen in Ghana to power their fishing boats.

“Due to delay in supply, the Landing Beach Committee members who are in charge of selling and distributing premix fuel, have resorted to illegal selling of the available supply to middlemen. Fishermen are not able to make profit from their fishing activities making them unable to sustain their families financially due to the unavailability of premix fuel and the high cost of fishing,” part of the statement quoted by Business Ghana reads.

It is believed the biometric ID cards will help identify the fraudulent middlemen.

One million Ethiopian students, teachers to get IDs

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been concluded for the second phase of a project that will see at least one million students and teachers in Ethiopia get digital IDs, according to Addis Standard.

The MoU, signed between the Education Ministry and the implementing partner Input Output HK Ltd (IOHK), indicates that the IDs will be issued before this year runs out.

Addis Standard notes that the project seeks to provide digital identification to five million students and 750,000 teachers across 3,680 schools in Africa’s second most populous country.

The digital ID project is said to be part of Ethiopia’s plans of fully integrating digital technology in its educational system.

Article Topics

Africa  |  biometric cards  |  biometric identification  |  biometrics  |  digital ID  |  digital identity  |  Ethiopia  |  fraud prevention  |  Ghana  |  identity document  |  identity verification  |  India