Namibia to step up civil registration efforts with $9M budget

The Department of Civil Registration in Namibia, which is under the Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security, has got a budgetary allocation of 178,122,000 million Namibian dollars (US$9.7 million) for the 2025/2026 fiscal year.

The amount was disclosed recently by Home Affairs and Immigration Minister Lucia Iipumbu during a budget speech, the ministry said in a post on its Facebook account. She said the budget will enable the department implement its strategic program for the issuance of important national identification documents.

She recalled the strides which the department made in the course of the 2024/2025 financial year, citing a mass ID registration campaign between February and July last year where more than 110,000 identity documents were issued. Nearly 15,000 stateless persons, she added, were also given legal identity during the year.

As part of efforts to strengthen the country’s legal identity management framework, Iipumbu mentioned that three regulations were also passed by parliament last year. These laws include the Regularization of Status Act, the Civil Registration and Identification Act, and the Marriage Act which replaces a 1961 legislation. The civil registration and ID legislation has been praised for containing essential data protection elements.

Namibia hopes to strengthen its civil registration efforts at a time the country is bracing up to roll out a national digital ID system. Last month, limpubu urged all stakeholders involved in the process to draw up a clear timeline for the rollout. She emphasized the importance of strong awareness campaigns to enable citizens better understand the benefits that will come with the digital ID system

Namibia’s DPI vision and lessons from India

The imminent rollout of the digital ID system is part of Namibia’s broader vision of building digital public infrastructure (DPI) that will help drive the digital economy, and the country can tap some lessons on getting the DPI project right from others like India and Singapore.

A research paper published early this year by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace gives tips on how India has made the difference with DPI implementation.

The paper titled “Digital public infrastructure: A practical approach for Africa,” examines the fundamental pillars and approach to DPI, the state of DPI implementation in Africa and key points for success, as well as the priority areas to consider.

The paper highlights India’s example where the country has emerged as a global model for DPI via the India Stack, with the success largely driven by strong political will, technological innovation, and a thriving startup ecosystem.

The writers hold that African countries have several lessons to learn from India if they must build DPI that are adapted to support their economic growth and financial inclusion efforts, as well as public services delivery systems.

Like India did, African countries should ensure that their DPI systems leverage existing infrastructure, develop new guidelines and governance frameworks, invest in foundational infrastructure such as internet connectivity, build interoperability and inclusivity as is the case with India’s UPI payment system, lay emphasis on governance and data protection, identify and develop local talent, close the digital divide, and build capacity through training and partnerships.

Angola is among the latest African nations to get support, and perhaps, inspiration from India for the development of DPI.

Article Topics

Africa  |  biometric enrollment  |  biometrics  |  civil registration  |  digital identity  |  digital public infrastructure  |  identity management  |  legal identity  |  Namibia  |  national ID