Uganda launching 5 MOSIP modules for national digital ID

Uganda is just weeks away from launching five MOSIP modules for its national biometric digital identity system.

National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) CEO Rosemary Kisembo told Indian publication ANI that NIRA has had the IIIT-B, where the Modular Open Source Identity Platform is based, “on speed dial” as it works towards implementation.

The Authority has also been focused lately on customizing the platform to align with Uganda’s laws.

A pilot project is already underway, according to Kisembo, and Uganda plans to integrate birth and death registries with its digital ID system in the next two to three months.

The five modules NIRA is implementing include ID registration, renewals, updating and correction, issuance and lost ID replacement services.

Uganda is also working towards the launch of a Unified Payments Interface (UPI).

“The immediate benefit of UPI will be a reduction in the cost of transactions,” Kisembo says. “It creates a free wallet for every citizen, enabling seamless money movement.”

UPI “has become a global benchmark for digital payments,” an editorial from the beginning of the month in an Indian state-owned publication argues.

Kisembo emphasizes the “leapfrog” that India’s digital identity system represents, and the example it sets for Uganda and other countries.

She also warns that sustainable funding models are needed to support the expansion of Africa’s digital infrastructure.

Uganda has been rapidly scaling the capacity of its digital ID system, with thousands of biometric registration kits deployed and thousands of staff hired by the government to perform tasks including operating the kits, verifying data, and operating printing equipment. The current mass biometric registration exercise is expected to add over 17 million people to the system.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  digital ID  |  MOSIP (Modular Open Source Identity Platform)  |  national ID  |  National Identification and Registration Authority of Uganda (NIRA)  |  Uganda  |  Unified Payments Interface - UPI