ID4Africa conference underway
Namibia, through the Ministry of Home Affairs and Immigration, is the third country to host the conference after Tanzania in 2015 and Rwanda in 2016.
The third ID4Africa conference started in Windhoek on Wednesday and ends today.
The three-day conference is being attended by delegates from 50 African countries, more than 90 international identity solution providers and more than 20 regional and international development agencies.
The forum featured comprehensive engagements by delegates to identify issues that include applications of identification systems to reinforce democracy, support healthcare, and build inclusive financial platforms and institutions as well as reinforcing civil registration and e-government initiatives.
ID4Africa executive chairperson Joseph Atick said the expo was happening at a time when the continent was experiencing record engagements by governments, development agencies and industry.
“We are pleased to report that African government attendance has doubled from last year, with 90% of the delegates being nominated by their governments,” said Atick.
International identity solution providers exhibited their technologies on identification cards, passports and border control systems.
Speaking at the opening of the event on Wednesday, Minister Pendukeni Iivula-Ithana said her ministry had a proven track record in terms of innovative system development and implementation, and aimed to remain a leading agent in the field.
“We have in the past 10 years strived to digitise all our civil registration and immigration processes in order to enhance customer service delivery, identity management and migration facilitation,” said Iivula-Ithana.
Their first system to be digitalised was identification document (ID) production in 1996.
She also emphasised on the web-based and integrated National Population Registration System, which was designed in 2009 to build on the existing ID production system.
The ID4Africa movement was motivated by the need to change the current situation with identification systems in Africa, where large segments of the population suffer from lack of robust and accessible IDs.
NAMPA
The three-day conference is being attended by delegates from 50 African countries, more than 90 international identity solution providers and more than 20 regional and international development agencies.
The forum featured comprehensive engagements by delegates to identify issues that include applications of identification systems to reinforce democracy, support healthcare, and build inclusive financial platforms and institutions as well as reinforcing civil registration and e-government initiatives.
ID4Africa executive chairperson Joseph Atick said the expo was happening at a time when the continent was experiencing record engagements by governments, development agencies and industry.
“We are pleased to report that African government attendance has doubled from last year, with 90% of the delegates being nominated by their governments,” said Atick.
International identity solution providers exhibited their technologies on identification cards, passports and border control systems.
Speaking at the opening of the event on Wednesday, Minister Pendukeni Iivula-Ithana said her ministry had a proven track record in terms of innovative system development and implementation, and aimed to remain a leading agent in the field.
“We have in the past 10 years strived to digitise all our civil registration and immigration processes in order to enhance customer service delivery, identity management and migration facilitation,” said Iivula-Ithana.
Their first system to be digitalised was identification document (ID) production in 1996.
She also emphasised on the web-based and integrated National Population Registration System, which was designed in 2009 to build on the existing ID production system.
The ID4Africa movement was motivated by the need to change the current situation with identification systems in Africa, where large segments of the population suffer from lack of robust and accessible IDs.
NAMPA
Comments
Namibian Sun
No comments have been left on this article