The Gambia picks Margins ID Group for national ID infrastructure upgrade

Margins ID Systems Applications Ltd (MIDSA), a subsidiary of Ghanaian identity firm Margins ID Group, has won a contract on a build, co-operate, and transfer basis to modernize the identity infrastructure of The Gambia and produce national ID cards for citizens.

The contract was signed recently between officials of the company and those of the country’s Ministry of Interior, according to a press release.

The Gambian government called the move the “beginning of a strategic partnership aimed at enhancing the security, efficiency and reliability of the country’s identity card system on a build, co-operate and transfer model, to implement a secure, scalable and integrated National Identity Management System and ICAO compliant e-identity card infrastructure.”

Per terms of the contract, MIDSA will design, produce and deliver secure identity cards which meet the necessary international standards.

Speaking at the contract signing ceremony, the Gambian Interior Ministry officials lauded the move as a strategic step in the right direction, one that ties with the government’s objective of streamlining identity and facilitating access to public and private services by citizens.

“This partnership is a reflection of the government’s commitment to providing citizens with secure and reliable identification documents while leveraging the expertise of trusted private sector partners,” one official said at the ceremony.

On the side of Margins ID Group, its Chairman, Executive Director and CEO, Moses Kwesi Baiden Jr., said the contract win was a source of pride, and they will put their three decades of expertise to work in order to give the best to The Gambia.

“We are honoured to collaborate with the Ministry of Interior on a project of national importance .Our goal is to deliver identity cards that combine durability ,security ,and efficiency ,contributing to improved service delivery for citizens,” Baiden is quoted as saying. The executive is a familiar voice in Africa’s digital transformation journey, known especially for his views on Africa’s technology sovereignty and data harmonization in an era of growing Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) adoption.

Margins ID Group also produces Ghana’s national ID card, known commonly as Ghana Card. The digital ID, whose wallet feature is in the process of being activated, is a critical tool in Ghana’s ongoing digital transformation drive.

The contract award to Margins effectively puts an end to an era of confusion that rocked The Gambia’s national ID sector for many years. Interior Minister Abdoulie Sanyang dropped a hint at the new contract in September 2024, telling lawmakers during a briefing that negotiations were ongoing at the time, and their intention was to avoid a repeat of past mistakes.

Article Topics

Africa  |  biometrics  |  digital ID infrastructure  |  digital identity  |  identity document  |  Margins ID Group  |  national ID  |  procurement  |  The Gambia