Controversy trails big money biometric ID card contract in DR Congo

A mega money contract for the production of biometric national ID cards in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) is facing the risk of being revoked following allegations of irregularities.

The contract, worth $697 million, is reportedly under probe by the country’s Inspectorate General of Finance (IDF) and it looks like authorities want it cancelled, according to a report by Africa Intelligence.

There had been a jostle for the contract by some major names in the identity solutions industry before it was finally awarded.

Awarded to a consortium made up of local firm Afritech and reportedly French identity giant Idemia, the ID card contract has since come under the spyglass, and there are indications the deal which was sealed under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement may be renegotiated.

The publication alludes to a letter dated June 12 sent by the Unité de Conseil & de Coordination du Partenariat Public Privé (UC-PPP) – the government body overseeing PPP projects – to the Office Nationale de l’Identification de la Population (ONIP) – the government agency in charge of the ID contract.

Per Africa Intelligence, the head of the UC-PPP in the letter reminds his counterpart of ONIP of the irregularities that the IGF has reportedly spotted in the award of the ID cards contract. He urged the ONIP boss to take every necessary action in line with the contractual provisions of the law.

The UC-PPP also noted that it had also expressed concerns about irregularities regarding the project in an earlier memo in October 2023.

Among the holes picked in the ID contract is that of overbilling, but the publication says the consortium partner Afritech has dismissed such claims in the past as unfounded. There are also questions about other issues related to financial arrangements for the project for which the contracting consortium is expected to cough out roughly $593 million.

Africa Intelligence says it also contacted Idemia’s legal counsel for a comment on the issues arising but legal representative declined to speak much, citing confidentiality obligations. But he however told the publication that Idemia has no shareholding or connection to any entity involved in the PPP deal.

Biometric Update has contacted Idemia for clarification, and will update this article with the company’s response.

Meanwhile, another mention by Africa Intelligence is that since April, the owner of Afritech, Samba Bathily, is reported to have been banned from traveling out of DR Congo territory as his business entities are being investigated by state authorities.

DR Congo had planned to have a national ID registry by 2020, but the plan has fallen through over the years.

Idemia says no consortium for DR Congo ID card, Afritech holds contract

Article Topics

Africa  |  Afritech  |  biometric identification  |  biometrics  |  Democratic Republic of Congo  |  digital ID  |  government purchasing  |  IDEMIA  |  national ID  |  public-private partnerships