Publication: The State of Identification Systems in Africa: Country Briefs
Date
2017
ISSN
Published
2017
Author(s)
World Bank Group
Abstract
The global landscape of identification
(ID) is changing rapidly. Technology is making it cheaper to
identify people accurately, while the opportunities of the
digital era are making it more important to be able to prove
one’s identity. The role of ID systems has become essential
in areas ranging from financial inclusion, social
protection, migration, and even coping with natural
disasters. Based on the World Bank’s identification for
development (ID4D) program’s database, more than 40 percent
of those lacking IDs in the world live in Africa. For the
first time, the World Bank is planning to provide financial
support and technical assistance to ID systems in Africa;
this is an area in which it has had marginal involvement
until now. The knowledge base related to ID systems in
Africa has expanded dramatically. Applying a standardized
assessment approach, the World Bank has financed more than
20 country reports and produced a synthesis report covering
17 of them. This publication draws from those reports as
well as primary and secondary sources to provide a brief
sketch of the foundational ID system in 48 African
countries. The brief also confirms that the gaps in the
legal and institutional environment that were found in the
subset of countries covered in the synthesis report are
representative of the wider African context. This volume
represents a very small step toward increasing the
understanding of the rapidly changing landscape of ID
systems in Africa.
Citation
“World Bank Group. 2017. The State of Identification Systems in Africa; The State of Identification Systems in Africa : Country Briefs. © World Bank, Washington, DC. http://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/28310 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”