Experts have called on African countries to embrace digital identification (ID) systems to unlock economic value equivalent to 3 percent to 7 percent of their gross domestic product (GDP).
The call was made by statistics and data experts attending the 12th StatsTalk-Africa Webinar organized Tuesday by the African Center for Statistics at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) under the theme “Building Inclusive National Identity Systems – Inter-linking digital identity and legal identity.”
Mactar Seck, chief of the Innovation and Technology Section at the UNECA, said digital ID can create economic value for countries primarily by enabling greater formalization of economic flows, promoting higher inclusion of individuals in a range of services, and allowing incremental digitization of sensitive interactions that require high levels of trust, said a Xinhua report on Wednesday.
“The successful implementation of digital ID systems requires a comprehensive and collaborative approach, considering the specific needs and challenges of each African country,” a UNECA statement quoted Seck as saying while making a presentation on digital identity for citizens at the webinar.
A digital ID is an identity verified and authenticated to a high degree of assurance over digital channels, which is unique and established with individual consent. Unlike a paper-based ID, a digital ID can be authenticated remotely over digital channels, it was noted.
According to the UNECA, the main attributes of digital ID are verification and authentication, data privacy and security, standardization and interoperability, and unique identity, among others.
Data from the UNECA show that about 542 million people in Africa do not have identity cards. Of this number, around 95 million children under five years of age have never had their births recorded, and 120 million children do not have birth certificates.
Oliver Chinganya, director of the African Center for Statistics at UNECA, said formal identity systems are critical for making sure all citizens are treated fairly by their governments.
The UNECA said ensuring legal identity for all is one of the aspirations of the Sustainable Development Goals and aims to provide legal identity for all, including birth registration, by 2030. Challenges such as lack of infrastructure, political instability, and issues related to privacy and inclusivity, however, remain to be tackled in many countries.
“Digital identity serves to authenticate and authorize individuals in various online environments like online banking, e-commerce, health care, and social security transfers,” said Chinganya.
The UNECA, through Tuesday’s session, envisaged demystifying concepts, processes, divergences, and developments in the digital identity and legal identity systems to address the concerns about privacy, security, and the potential for identity theft or misuse of personal information.
The experts stressed the need for member states to put in place institutional capacity within relevant line ministries and departments to better plan, budget, advocate, and scale up the delivery of legal documents.