Albania plans digital ID launch for 2026 to underpin broader digital transformation

The Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama has praised the imminent launch of the country’s digital ID system as one of the drivers of its digital transformation.

Prime Minister Rama was speaking during an event yesterday to present the digital ID system project. He said once rolled out, it will position the country as a regional leader in efficient public service delivery and innovation.

The demo showed how the digital ID system will serve the country and contribute to its digital economy.

Two companies, IdentiTek and AlbTrace, are working with the government to implement the digital transformation projects. IdentiTek also signed a contract in 2023 for Albania’s biometric passport and national ID cards.

AlbTrace is 51 percent owned by Albania’s Security Printing House and 49 percent owned by O&S Security and Solutions LLP. The latter is based in the United Arab Emirates and 40 percent owned by Sicpa Middle East Investments Holding LTD, a subsidiary of Swiss company Sicpa.

IdentiTek is a state-owned company that took over the offices, equipment and employees of Aleat when it took over the ID document contract in 2023, local media reported at the time. The company also inherited its predecessor’s partnership with Idemia, according to the report. The company operates under the authority of the Albanian Ministry of Internal Affairs.

In the PM’s remarks, he underscored digital ID as an important component of Albania’s DPI, and said its presentation comes one year ahead of the EU’s own digital ID policy.

“Personally, I consider this an immense blessing of our era because through digital technology and, most recently, thanks to AI, nations can envision surpassing entire eras that would otherwise be impossible to overcome at the pace of linear progress that preceded the technological age,” Rama said.

He dwelled on the importance of the digital ID and its role in the ambitious Albania 2030 plan, saying that it is an “essential instrument for implementing our plan to move from cash to digital transactions.”

“This means much greater security for consumers; it means far more transparency for businesses; and it means significantly higher revenues from the portion that rightfully belongs to the consumer but largely remains out of reach due to informality and various tricks — practices that will be drastically reduced, if not entirely eliminated, thanks to digital transactions,” he mentioned.

Rama also cited sectors such as healthcare, education, and transport where technologies like digital ID and AI can be useful in facilitating service delivery. The Ministry of Internal Affairs plans to give parents information on their children’s daily lives at school to help improve school attendance and reduce bullying.

“I strongly believe that with these projects, and with the digital identity program, we will be able to take Albania 2030 to a completely different level from where we stand today,” he expressed optimism.

“We will be able to empower citizens in ways that are almost unimaginable, to make their daily lives incomparably easier, and to enable interactions that currently require more time, more energy, and inevitably more stress.”

The PM also announced the expansion of a Smart City project which he says will digitize traffic monitoring systems across the country’s cities, starting with Tirana. There have been concerns about the deployment of biometric surveillance systems in the Balkans over privacy and human rights.

Albania, last month, became the first country in the world to create a “minister” with AI as part of his digital transformation advancement. Diella, as the minister is named, was appointed Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence and given the responsibility to oversee public procurement procedures.

Article Topics

Albania  |  Albania 2030  |  biometrics  |  digital government  |  digital ID  |  government services  |  IdentiTek