Tanzania seeks biometrics contractors for Phase II of national digital ID project

Tanzania says it is seeking contractors for some activities related to the execution of Phase II of the country’s national digital ID project, Jamii Namba.

Deputy Home Affairs Minister Ayoub Mohamed Mahmoud disclosed this information recently during a briefing to parliament, as reported by Tanzania Insights.

In this second phase, the minister stated that the government also intends to enhance digital ID verification and authentication by introducing more biometric modalities.

“The project will also strengthen the registration and identification system by introducing additional verification methods using iris and facial recognition technologies to ensure more reliable biometric identification,” the deputy minister was quoted as telling lawmakers.

According to the official, the government has already published tenders, and the process of selecting those to deliver the job has begun. He did not give further details about the process.

Key activities for this phase, he noted, include the construction of a headquarters building for the National Identification Authority (NIDA) in the country’s administrative capital city Dodoma, the construction of an ICT equipment maintenance center, and the expansion of identity registration offices to 31 districts across the country.

The official also stated that approximately $14 million has been allocated for the 2025/2026 fiscal year, specifically for the construction of the office in Micheweni District, where compensation for claimed land to be used for the project has already been paid.

It is hoped that the expansion of enrollment offices will drive registration and go a long way in facilitating access to public and private sector services for thousands of citizens across the country, the official added.

Digital ID is a foundational component of Tanzania’s digital public infrastructure development, and the current project is being executed thanks to a loan arrangement from the Export-Import Bank of Korea estimated at $70 million. However, there is a broader digital transformation initiative being implemented in the country, dubbed the Digital Tanzania Project, funded by the World Bank since 2021.

For the Phase I of the digital identification project, the key thing was to put in place the necessary core infrastructure, which included a data center and some biometric enrollment offices.

As part of its ongoing digital transformation drive, Tanzania is hosting a regional innovation center to help the country in the areas of ICT innovation, digital skills development, and economic growth.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  digital identity  |  facial recognition  |  iris recognition  |  Jamii Namba  |  Jamii Number  |  national ID  |  National Identification Authority (NIDA)  |  procurement  |  Tanzania