Ayang Macdonald

Ghana’s Electoral Commission (EC) has struggled lately with multiple controversies, and another has emerged with claims of massive spending on procurement for biometric verification devices (BVDs) and biometric voter registration kits (BVRs).

The 2023 Londa digital rights and inclusion in Africa report published by digital rights watchdog, Paradigm Initiative (PIN), has emphasized the need for necessary safeguards to be considered by African governments in the conception and implementation of digital ID policies.

The Unity Labour Party (ULP) – the ruling political party in St Vincent and the Grenadines – has reiterated the importance of a digital transformation plan the country is currently pursuing, saying it will facilitate a wide range of processes in including land and property transactions.

Holders of Israeli biometric passports who want to renew them can henceforth do so online, but not every passport user is eligible and no biographical information such as the applicant’s name can be changed.

The body managing elections in Cameroon (ELECAM) says it has obtained funds from the government and discussions are already ongoing with technical and technological partners for the overhaul of biometric kits deployed across the country for voter registration.

Two officials of ANA Digital Gate have spoken about the success recorded by a face biometrics authentication Proof of Concept (POC) in which around 30,000 air travelers participated over a period of six months.

The case study also highlights some lessons which can be useful for other countries looking to improve and scale up their CRVS and national digital ID systems.

Some progress has been reported on a project currently being implemented in the Caribbean nation of St Kitts and Nevis to build digital public infrastructure.

Bidding has been opened to select a contractor for the development of the country’s single digital ID core and support modules.

Nigeria’s National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) says 107.3 million national identification numbers (NINs) have been issued as of this month, but the road ahead to reach 200 million citizens with digital ID is still long and rugged.