Benin joins 50-in-5 as digital identity, DPI strategy advances

Beninese authorities say they’ll make the most of their membership in the 50-in-5 campaign to ramp up the country’s ongoing digital public infrastructure (DPI) implementation.

The membership comes as Benin continues to build out a digital public infrastructure ecosystem centered on digital identity, interoperability and digital service delivery, areas the country recently showcased at ID4Africa 2026.

Benin has already made significant progress in building its DPI ecosystem, including a national digital ID and plans for a digital wallet to expand access to public services. Its interoperability model is inspired by Estonia’s X-Road.

The 50-in-5 initiative is an effort championed by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the World Bank, and other state and private sector partners, with the aim of supporting the building of inclusive, safe, and interoperable DPI. They said the initiative was to run for the next five years when it was launched in November 2023 with 11 first-mover countries participating.

Benin became the 16th African nation to join the fold, the campaign said in a recent announcement, and will be represented by the Information Systems and Digital Agency (ASIN). This came within the same period when the memberships of Indonesia and Papua New Guinea were also announced.

To the campaign, the membership will allow the country to “engage in peer learning and collaboration with other member countries, sharing its experience in building inclusive and interoperable DPI while also drawing on global best practices to further strengthen its digital transformation journey.”

At this year’s ID4Africa AGM, Benin shared its experience in building digital infrastructure. Officials said the government made a structural decision to streamline governance with clear responsibilities assigned to each institution.

The Director General of the National Agency for the Identification of Persons (ANIP), Aristide Adjinacou, noted that Benin’s progress stemmed from a deliberate effort to simplify governance structures. The government consolidated four ICT agencies into ASIN in 2022 while assigning ANIP sole responsibility for identity management, replacing a fragmented system in which multiple institutions issued different identity credentials.

“Transforming the daily lives of Beninese citizens through digital begins with one principle: simplification. That is the very purpose of the digital public infrastructure we are building, and of our commitment to the 50-in-5 Campaign,” ASIN Director General, Marc-André Loko, commented.

Article Topics

50-in-5  |  Africa  |  Benin  |  digital identity  |  digital public infrastructure  |  UNDP