Digital identification and biometrics in East Africa: opportunities and concerns

The document examines the shift from paper-based to digital identification in East Africa, specifically focusing on Ethiopia's 'Fayda' and Uganda's 'Ndaga Muntu' systems. While digital IDs aim to improve access to government services and reduce fraud, the briefing highlights significant risks including the exclusion of marginalized groups, potential for ethnic profiling, and the absence or weakness of data protection laws. It recommends transparent roll-outs, the maintenance of analogue alternatives, and the establishment of strong legal frameworks for cybersecurity and privacy.

• Approximately 50% of Africa's population lacks a legal identity, which hinders access to essential services such as healthcare, social grants, bank accounts, and passports. This gap has a gendered dimension, as ID coverage is significantly lower for adult women than for men.
• Ethiopia's 'Fayda' biometric digital ID system aims to enrol all eligible adults by 2025, with a target of 10 million registrations in 2023. While not mandatory, there are risks that government or private entities may condition the provision of services on possessing a digital ID, potentially excluding those who continue to use the unreliable paper-based 'kebele' cards.
• The Fayda system in Ethiopia faces criticism regarding potential ethnic profiling and surveillance of state critics, exacerbated by the fact that Ethiopia lacks data protection laws and has not ratified the AU Convention on Cyber Security and Personal Data Protection (Malabo Convention).
• Uganda's 'Ndaga Muntu' system, introduced in 2015 as mandatory, has led to mass exclusion, particularly for women and older persons. Approximately one-third of the population still lacks the ID, often due to an inability to provide documentation like birth or marriage certificates.
• The Ndaga Muntu system is criticized for collecting excessive personal data—including clan, tribe, and ethnicity—which contradicts data minimisation principles and increases surveillance risks. Furthermore, reports indicate a planned 2024 upgrade to include DNA biometrics.
• Biometric collection can be inherently exclusionary for manual labourers, the elderly, and persons with disabilities who may be unable to provide fingerprints. The document advises maintaining paper-based or analogue alternatives to prevent such exclusion.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2023). Digital identification and biometrics in East Africa: opportunities and concerns. https://saiia.org.za/research/digital-identification-and-biometrics-in-east-africa-opportunities-and-concerns/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. Digital identification and biometrics in East Africa: opportunities and concerns. 2023. https://saiia.org.za/research/digital-identification-and-biometrics-in-east-africa-opportunities-and-concerns/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=Digital identification and biometrics in East Africa: opportunities and concerns |date=9 November 2023 |url=https://saiia.org.za/research/digital-identification-and-biometrics-in-east-africa-opportunities-and-concerns/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2023digital, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{Digital identification and biometrics in East Africa: opportunities and concerns}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2023}, month = nov, url = {https://saiia.org.za/research/digital-identification-and-biometrics-in-east-africa-opportunities-and-concerns/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }