Tanzania launching infant biometric registration pilot with UNICEF support

Tanzania’s National Identification Authority (NIDA) says it is figuring how to implement an infant biometric registration system for children below the age of five with a pilot in this regard expected to take place in July.

Edson Guyai, director of ID Management at NIDA disclosed this plan recently at the ID4Africa 2025 AGM when he laid bare the country’s national digital ID progress and the long road that still has to be covered.

Guyai said the planned infant biometrics pilot has the support of UNICEF, and is an integral part of the new Universal ID or Jamii Number digital ID project which prioritizes registration of citizens from birth.

“This will help solve numerous issues, including access to services and early identity establishment. Upon birth, a child will receive both a birth certificate and a National ID number and document,” Guyai said.

He said because of challenges related to finding the right biometric solution for under-five children, they opted for the interim measure of linking the child’s identity to the mother’s National ID.

Infant biometrics remain a niche capability, despite research and engineering advances in recent years. Integrated Biometrics brought its first commercially available infant biometrics solution to ID4Africa this year.

“Starting in July, we will launch a pilot program for infant biometric registration, in collaboration with UNICEF, in selected regions. We are also upgrading ICT infrastructure, reforming our registration processes, and reviewing our legal frameworks to align with these new goals,” Guyai mentioned.

The country has also budgeted $4.5 million for a seemingly different pilot which focuses on enrolling minors for legal identity.

In his presentation, the official painted the overall picture of national ID coverage in the East African nation, the nature of their journey so far, the current status of things in terms of integration and ecosystem development, infrastructure and data management, details about the Jamii Number inclusive ID scheme, challenges faced, lessons learnt and the next steps.

“In terms of registration and identification, we have successfully registered over 25 million individuals. According to our legal framework, the eligible age for registration is 18 years and above. Based on the 2022 national census, the total population aged 18 and above stands at over 31.5 million. This means we’ve covered about 81 percent of the eligible adult population,” Guyai explained.

“The ID is issued in the form of a smart card with multi-application capabilities for both offline and online use. To date, we have personalized over 21.2 million IDs and issued more than 20.1 million cards.”

He noted that their efforts align with a rigorous process to ensure that each individual is correctly categorized, per their laws which allow the registration of citizens, legal residents, refugees, and stateless persons living within the country’s borders.

Apart from registering and identifying Tanzanians, Guyai said NIDA is also focused on building an identity ecosystem, and this requires integrating the ID system with other public and private sector services.

“A national ID without integration is limited in use. Through integration, we enable the ecosystem, making government service delivery more streamlined and efficient,” he stated.

“So far, we have integrated with over 124 institutions, both public and private. Through ID verification services, we’ve generated approximately $45.4 million. We charge $0.18 per transaction and additional fees for card replacement and legal resident registration.”

Guyai mentioned that among other things, the Jamii Number idea aligns with national policies for digital inclusion and economic growth, supports regional and global integration efforts, enhances security, and will help advance the government’s social protection programs.

Along their ID journey, the NIDA executive said they have faced several challenges which include legal constraints, financial shortfalls, issues of accessibility due to the geography of the country, and a lack of foundational documents for national ID, among others.

These challenges notwithstanding, he says they have been able to find a way around them through various means including increased political commitment  from the highest authorities of the country, finding models for sustainable financing, establishing stronger stakeholder engagement and initiating more practical use cases that drive ID adoption such as SIM card registration which he says has boosted ID registration by about 25 percent.

Article Topics

Africa  |  biometrics  |  birth registration  |  digital ID  |  ID4Africa 2025  |  identity management  |  infant biometrics  |  Jamii Number  |  National Identification Authority (NIDA)  |  Tanzania