‘Interoperable but not identical’: applying ID standards across diverse communities

Exchanging knowledge and experiences with identity systems to improve future ID projects is central to the concept of ID4Africa’s mission. At this year’s ID4Africa AGM in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, a tension was more evident than ever before between the quest for transferable insights and replicable successes and the uniqueness of each African nation.

Thales Cybersecurity and Digital Identity Field Marketing Director for the Middle East and Africa Jean Lindner wrote in an emailed response to questions from Biometric Update following the event that the mix of attendees reflected that “every African country has its own diverse history or development maturity and therefore unique legacy identity systems, with different constraints. Let us recognize here there is no unique quick-fix to country-specific hurdles,” he says.

The lessons of one country can only benefit another to the extent that common ground is identified. The development of the concept of digital public infrastructure has mapped out some common ground, but standards and collaborative organizations have a major role to play.

Unfortunately, Stéphanie de Labriolle, executive director services at the Secure Identity Alliance says “the widespread lack of clarity around standards and what compliance truly entails” was striking at this year’s ID4Africa AGM.

“There seems to be significant confusion between de facto and international standards, between the use of open source and standardization, and about the certification processes required for products to comply with international standards (OSIA, OIDF, ISO, ICAO, FIDO etc.) Additionally, there’s often a confusion of standards related to identity creation, usage, credential formats, and sector-specific (vertical) standards,” de Labriolle writes.

“This highlights a broader issue: policymakers need to approach these topics with humility and a willingness to engage with technical experts before advising governments. There’s a clear disconnect between the development community and the technologists and bridging that gap is essential for meaningful progress.”

Interoperability and standards

Interest in cross-border interoperability and standards is increasing, though, she says, along with understanding.

The strong participation from government representatives in the SIDI (Secure and Interoperable Digital Identity) Hub workshop was noted as a particularly promising example.

With more than 120 technology vendors at ID4Africa 2025, interoperability allows countries to tap into a wealth of industry experience and knowledge, notes Lindner.

“For example and to be specific, African countries can today request their identity suppliers to use standard X.1281 of the UN International Telecoms Union,” he writes. “This standard is a set of interfaces (or Open Standard Identity Application programming interfaces, or OSIA) that unlocks a universal interoperable framework for innovation, competition and sustainability. That standard comes with open and clear governance.”

Thales is a founding member of the SIA and an active supporter of OSIA.

Clear communication and consistent interpretation

De Labriolle emphasizes the importance of standards development organizations (SDOs) in fostering the needed connections.

“Trust frameworks are inherently complex, consisting of intricate policy layers. Achieving interoperability doesn’t require full policy alignment, but it does demand clear communication and consistent interpretation of those policies,” she points out.

“Interestingly, it’s the more complex and high-stakes use cases — not the simple or low-risk ones — that tend to reveal the true challenges of cross-border credential interoperability.

“For maximum benefit, systems should be interoperable but not identical,” de Labriolle says.

“Nation-states must be empowered to make decisions that protect national sovereignty and prevent undue influence through technology implementation. SIDI Hub supports the Global Digital Compact by providing sovereign states, within a multistakeholder community, the opportunity to implement systems that meet their needs, safeguard citizen rights, and prevent lock-in.

“Looking ahead, SIDI Hub, together with African governments and industry stakeholders, will continue to collaborate more deliberately —  learning from each other, sharing best practices, and co-developing common tools to advance safe and interoperable digital identity systems.”

Solutions need to be anchored in real-world use cases — ones that often rely on a mix of credentials. Some of these credentials are government-issued and regulated, such as national IDs, while others come from private entities and are subject to global standards, like diplomas or financial data.”

Article Topics

digital identity  |  ID4Africa 2025  |  interoperability  |  OSIA (Open Standards Identity API)  |  Secure Identity Alliance  |  Sustainable and Interoperable Digital Identity (SIDI) Hub  |  Thales Digital Identity and Security