ID4Africa 2026 AGM to explore digital ID in light of digital public ecosystems

Identity for Development (ID4D) movement, ID4Africa, has unveiled the theme of its 2026 Annual General Meeting (AGM) with a focus on how digital identity can advance digital transformation beyond the scope of digital public infrastructure (DPI).

The theme “Digital Identity: From DPI to Digital Public Ecosystems (DPE) was made public in an announcement released today from Paris.

ID4Africa’s 2026 AGM will be hosted by Cote d’Ivoire from May 12-15, as announced at this year’s edition of the event in Addis Ababa Ethiopia. The exhibition avenue of the event will be the gigantic Parcs des Expositions in Abidjan.

The ID4Africa annual AGM, launched in 2015, has grown to become the biggest identity-related event on the continent, with this year’s event registering record numbers in both attendance and speakers. It took place under the theme “Digital Identity at Scale: Prioritizing Use, Accelerating Impact.”

Next year, participants are expected to get immersed in reflections and thought-sharing with the understanding that “true transformation requires interconnected assets, governance, safeguards and trust working together, with identity anchoring systems that deliver inclusive, trusted public value.”

ID4Africa Executive Chairman, Dr Joseph Atick, commented on the theme saying that “the move from DPI to DPE is the natural next step in our journey.”

He said the theme “demonstrates that digital identity is not merely a technical issue, but one that depends on human safeguards, legal frameworks and a multitude of unseen factors that together form a true ecosystem and enable successful digital transformation.”

Atick added that the theme also provides direction for ID4Africa’s AGMs in the next coming years. “In Abidjan, our AGM will mark this milestone as we shift the lens from infrastructure to ecosystems—resetting the agenda for the next few years.”

In the announcement, ID4Africa also mentioned that in the coming months, it will be unveiling “exciting program modules” through its newsletters and other communications channels to showcase why that the Abidjan event is not to be missed.

Article Topics

Africa  |  biometrics  |  digital ID  |  digital public infrastructure  |  ID4Africa  |  ID4Africa 2026  |  legal identity