Namibian govt aims for strong public awareness on digital ID as rollout nears

Namibia’s Minister of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security, Lucia Iipumbu, has called for a clear timeline for the imminent rollout of the country’s national digital ID, adding that strong awareness campaigns must also be carried for citizens to be informed about the benefits that will come with the system. She said such awareness will bring citizens up to speed with the advantages of the digital ID system and enable them embrace and adopt it.

In a press briefing Monday, Iipumbu said there has been progress in preparations for the launch of the digital ID, saying the rollout is very close. She urged all those involved in the process to accelerate their efforts in order to make the system operational as soon as possible. The project has the collaboration of the Office of the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the Bank of Namibia, as well as other non-government partners.

The minister used the media briefing to reiterate the importance of the digital ID system which she said will facilitate access to public and private sector services, trigger a digital economy boom and also help the government fight corruption.

In an era described as the Fourth Industrials Revolution, the Namibian government official underscored the place of the digital legal identity system in driving the country’s digital transformation ambitions, including by streamlining governance and administrative processes.

Iipumbu hoped that Namibia’s soon-to-launch digital ID system will take the country a step further in its digital transformation journey, and would also serve as a worthy example for other countries in the Southern African region, and perhaps the continent at large, to emulate.

Thanks the support of partners such as the UNDP, Namibia has been working to put in place an inclusive legal digital ID system where all citizens, including those in rural and far-flung communities, can be served. This inclusion is reflected in a move last year when the government started issuing biometric ID cards to refugees after many years of failed promises.

In the meantime, Namibia has also been running an awareness campaign on the importance of birth registration for newborns. Home Affairs has been encouraging parents, insisting that timely birth registration matters. The required documents for birth registration include the baby’s hospital card, certified copies of the parents’ ID cards and a marriage certificate if parents are married.

Namibia’s new civil registration legislation has been lauded for containing essential elements of data protection.

Article Topics

Africa  |  biometric identification  |  digital ID  |  Identification for Development (ID4D)  |  identity management  |  legal identity  |  Namibia  |  national ID  |  UNDP