Mozambique seeks expert services to support mass birth, ID registration

Mozambique’s Ministry of Justice, Constitutional and Religious Affairs has launched an international call to tender for services to support the country’s birth registration and identity infrastructure.

Published on December 11, interested bidders have up to February 5 to submit their bids, according to the tender announcement. Submissions must be by physical copy only, and late bids shall be rejected outright.

The tender is within the framework of the Mozambique Digital Governance and Economy Project (EDGE), executed with funding from the World Bank. The project was approved in 2021 with funding to the tune of 150 million.

Per the announcement, the scope of the services being sought has to do with non-consulting services to strengthen Mozambique’s civil registration and identification systems, and companies willing to participate in the bidding must meet certain eligibility criteria.

Among the criteria, bidders must show that they have already carried out a project of a similar nature with a minimum amount of $7 million, or two projects of at least $4 million. Bids must be accompanied by a bid security fee of $90,000.

In the last few years, Mozambique has been working to modernize its civil registration and national ID system, although there have been lingering challenges especially in rural and difficult-to-reach communities where coverage is limited.

Since its launch, the EDGE project has played a substantial role in facilitating birth registration and access to ID cards, especially for people who are more likely to face difficulties in obtaining those vital documents. By 2023, more than 21,000 forcibly displaced persons had obtained legal identity thanks to the project, enabling them to have access to a wide range of services they were hitherto cut off from.

The World Bank has also supported the Mozambican government in issuing national ID cards to citizens free of charge as the country continues to implement its vision of legal identity for all by 2030.

In a birth registration brief on Mozambique, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) raised concerns about a decline in national birth registration and proposed what it called “robust multi-partner efforts” to address to the situation.

Article Topics

Africa  |  biometrics  |  birth registration  |  digital ID  |  digital ID infrastructure  |  identity management  |  Mozambique  |  procurement  |  SDG 16.9  |  tender  |  World Bank