Zambia gets $100M World Bank grant and MOSIP boost for digital identity upgrade

Zambia is modernizing its digital public infrastructure (DPI) as part of a broader global effort to enhance digital identity systems, as the Work Bank gifts the country $100 million to put towards Zambia’s digitization.

According to the Ministry of Technology and Science (MOTS), the Digital Zambia Acceleration Project (DZAP) is a $100 million project that will be financed through national and regional IDA, and the country will receive a further $20 million in unguaranteed commercial financing.

Zambia’s journey towards enhancing its DPI has gained momentum, driven by political backing and a series of progressive policies. Recent legislative developments have underscored the country’s commitment to e-governance, digital ID, and data protection, CSIS reports.

Emphasizing system interoperability, the 2023 Electronic Government (General) Regulations mandate that all e-government services must ensure integrated and compatible systems.

According to a recent statement from MOTS, the upgraded digital ID system will improve access to government services, financial inclusion, and overall governance.

MOTS of Zambia recently launched its initiative to develop a more inclusive and efficient DPI. The project is part of the “50 in 5” campaign, which aims to implement digital identity systems in 50 countries within five years. The campaign is focused on expanding the reach and capabilities of digital identity systems to ensure more equitable access to essential services.

With that, it was reported in May 2024 that Zambia’s government has already collected biometric records for 1.3 million people. CSIS also reports one of the key innovations is the rollout of the Integrated National Registration Information System, which introduces a new biometric digital ID system. This initiative, a significant overhaul since 1965, aims to issue digital IDs to all citizens aged 16 and over, at an estimated cost of $54.8 million. The new system is set to enhance service access and boost the national e-Know Your Customer (eKYC) platform.

Zambia is also leveraging the MOSIP (Modular Open Source Identity Platform) to streamline its national digital identity management systems. The integration of MOSIP’s EET (e-Signet) is transforming how the Zambian government manages eKYC processes and biometric authentication, according to a recent fireside chat with Luke Mate, SMART Zambia director, and Rathanak Sreang, digital government committee – Cambodia.

The Zambian government, through its Smart Zambia Institute, is piloting MOSIP’s EET to evolve its approach to digital identity. EET serves as an intermediary layer that connects existing ID systems with various digital services, with the aim of simplifying and accelerating the process of biometric authentication and data sharing.

Mate said during a meeting with the Indian developers in Lusaka: “We endeavor to ensure that this platform is fully owned and supported by Smart Zambia Institute, and we’re grateful for the capacity building and support provided by the MOSIP team.”

He added that the platform will enhance the effectiveness of drought relief management, and will serve as a model for other disaster response initiatives in Zambia.

Krishnaan Rajagopal from MOSIP also confirmed that the organization was collaborating with Smart Zambia Institute on this project.

In Zambia, the EET platform is designed to work with pre-existing biometric databases, thus avoiding the need for a complete overhaul of current systems. The integration involves connecting EET with the backend ID systems to authenticate and verify user identities. This is done by identifying trusted databases and leveraging their biometric capabilities.

Article Topics

Africa  |  biometrics  |  digital ID  |  digital public infrastructure  |  e-Signet  |  identity management  |  MOSIP (Modular Open Source Identity Platform)  |  World Bank  |  Zambia