Madagascar digital ID pilot kicks off, testing infrastructure ahead of nationwide rollout

The Malagasy government has launched a pilot program to enroll citizens for its new national digital ID system, ahead of full nationwide rollout expected from April.

The pilot was launched on January 27 during a ceremony preside over by the country’s President Michael Randrianirina, the Ministry of Digital Development, Posts and Telecommunications announced on its official Facebook page.

It mentioned that the exercise concerns the head of state and members of government, and will allow authorities to test the system infrastructure and see where to make adjustments before full scale deployment in the next few months.

According to officials, the enrollment includes the collection of biographical information and the capture of face, iris and fingerprint biometrics from registrants to create a Unique Identification Number which shall be useful in accessing public and private sector services.

U.S. based IriTech is an official hardware provider for this project, supplying its IriAegis-BK binocular iris scanner for enrollment and authentication processes. The IriAegis-BK features simultaneous dual-eye iris capture, enhanced image resolution, liveness detection and anti-spoofing algorithms to detect live biometric traits and reject presentation attacks.

The Digital Development Ministry also announced that the pilot will take place mainly in the district of Antsimondrano.

The new digital ID system is being implemented under the Digital Governance and Identification Management System Project (PRODIGY) which is funded by the Wold Bank.

When nationwide rollout begins, the government expects to issue a national digital ID to more than 12 million citizens, with a target to reach two million people between April and June this year. Citizens who are 18 years old, and above, are eligible for enrollment.

The ministry says the choice of a multimodal biometric ID system is “to prevent fraud” and to make sure multiple identification cards are not issued under one name.

“This infrastructure is a guarantee of clean, rapid and people-friendly governance, in line with the vision set forth for the country’s reform. This is not just a simple calculation; it is building the digital future of the country, for all Malagasy,” the ministry assured.

It added that the digital ID project, which was approved by the Council of Ministers, and whose legal framework was okayed by the Senate in July last year, is not only intended to strengthen Madagascar’s civil registration and identification system, but will ensure the delivery of faster, transparent and accessible public services to all, in a move which aligns with the country’s digital transformation goals.

Overseen by the Digital Governance Unit, the digital ID system is also expected to be integrated with government ministries, agencies and many other public services. In this regard, the country is working to scale its national interoperability system.

Madagascar is on speed in the implementation of its digital ID and digital government project under PRODIGY. Recently, it launched five tenders seeking contractors for different items and services.

Article Topics

Africa  |  biometric enrollment  |  biometrics  |  data collection  |  digital ID  |  face biometrics  |  fingerprint biometrics  |  iris biometrics  |  Madagascar  |  multimodal biometrics  |  Prodigy (Madagascar)