PALOP countries collaborate to enhance digital Identity and public services

Portuguese-speaking African countries (PALOP) face structural obstacles, including limited infrastructure, uneven institutional capacity, and unequal access to digital technologies. The issues are affecting the development of digital identity systems that help citizens access public services, speakers shared at a webinar organized by the United Nations University’s Operating Unit on Electronic Governance (UNU-EGOV), the Regional Center for Studies on the Development of the Information Society (Cetic.br) and the Brazilian Network Information Center (NIC.br).

The webinar, held on March 26th, is part of a broader initiative called Digital Governance Dialogues, which aims to enhance digital governance in PALOP countries on both the supply and demand sides, meaning both governments and users.

The project includes a series of thematic sessions, hosted in Lusophone African countries, between 2025 and 2027.

The inaugural webinar was held in October 2025 and focused on national digital governance strategies, policies and plans. The latest session, on the other hand, examined the role of digital ID as foundational digital public infrastructure, as well as questions around implementation, efficiency, and integration between services.

The webinar can be viewed on YouTube (in Portuguese).

The activities involve all PALOP countries, including Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, and São Tomé and Príncipe, as well as other Portuguese-speaking countries, such as Brazil and Portugal. The events are directed at government representatives and policymakers, as well as international and regional organizations.

 

Article Topics

Africa  |  digital ID  |  digital identity  |  digital public infrastructure  |  government services  |  webinar