Afghanistan sees fiber optic outages, digital governance plans called into question 

The disruption of fiber optic internet services across more than ten Afghan provinces could seriously set back the country’s digital transformation efforts.

The suspension is seen as a major obstacle to digital governance, limiting citizens’ access to essential services and hindering economic and educational activities. Tolo News reports that fiber optic services have been stopped in provinces including Kandahar, Herat, Helmand, Balkh, Nangarhar, Kunduz, Parwan, Takhar, and several others, over the past week.

Amidst ongoing challenges, Afghanistan has made strides in digitizing key government functions. Earlier this year, Afghanistan’s National Information and Statistics Authority (NSIA) said it was opening up more centers for the issuance of the national digital ID known as e-Tazkiras as issuance numbers continue climbing.

The e-Tazkiras is the digital version of the Afghan national ID card. Figures indicate that more than 15 million people are in possession of their e-Tazkiras. But there have been complaints over the system. Tolo News reported problems for individuals such as Rahmatullah from Samangan province who cannot buy e-Tazkiras due to their high prices while residents like Sayed from Paktia call for reduced prices and better facilities.

The technical systems also require consideration. Observers argue that Afghanistan’s progress toward modernizing its public sector depends heavily on reliable telecommunications infrastructure, electricity and technical training. Without these foundations, the shift to digital governance remains fragile.

Economic affairs analyst Abdul Nasir Rashtia emphasized the potential of digitization to combat entrenched corruption. “If the government can digitize all its institutions and agencies, this process can save time and prevent corruption, as corruption had become institutionalized in state offices over the past twenty years,” he said (via Tolo News).

However, the fall of the country’s democratically elected government has previously led to a call by civil society organizations to erase and secure biometric and digital ID data in Afghanistan. A coalition of Access Now, Commonwealth, Human Rights Initiative, and the Electronic Frontier Foundation stated that the data would be used to target individuals like human rights defenders, journalists, and minorities.

In a country as large as Afghanistan that lacks some essential infrastructure such as roads and transport, processes like issuing passports and ID cards can be handled online, removing the need for physical visits to government offices, if digitized government services are properly installed. But a lack of reliable Internet will hamper such efforts.

Article Topics

Afghanistan  |  digital government  |  digital identity  |  government services