Benin, Ghana and Rwanda have completed the first phase of a Smart Africa pilot that links their national identity systems for cross-border verification. The three countries established initial connectivity between their systems and demonstrated end-to-end digital identity verification using synthetic data in a controlled testing environment.
The pilot runs on the Smart Africa Data Exchange (SADX), a federated platform through which authorized national systems can exchange and verify information without a centralized identity database or any country giving up control of its national data. The Smart Africa Trust Alliance (SATA) supplies the common framework for trust, governance and cooperation between participating countries.
The first use case is identity verification for travel. Smart Africa says a traveler from one participating country could eventually have their identity checked directly against home-country records, for example at an automated airport e-gate. Ralph Oyini Mbouna, Smart Africa’s director of digital transformation and services, told The New Times the checks could also apply to “services such as opening a bank account or checking in to a hotel, where permitted by national regulations.” He said SADX does not remove visa requirements or change immigration laws.
Each country is working through its national agencies: the Agence des Systèmes d’Information et du Numérique and the Agence Nationale d’Identification des Personnes in Benin, the National Identification Authority and the National Information Technology Agency in Ghana, and the Rwanda Information Society Authority and the National Identification Agency in Rwanda. Ascend Digital Solutions is delivering the technical foundation, with support from the African Development Bank, the European Union, Norway’s Norad and Co-Develop.
The countries are now moving to a second phase that will prepare a controlled operational pilot, subject to national approvals, security assessments and operational readiness. Mbouna said Smart Africa is targeting the first controlled operational pilot in early 2027. Results from each phase will be shared with the 19 countries that have signed the SATA Declaration, which Smart Africa says represent more than 335 million people.
“With Benin, Ghana and Rwanda taking this important first technical step, we are demonstrating that interoperability does not require centralization, and integration does not mean surrendering sovereignty,” said Lacina Koné, director general and CEO of Smart Africa.
Sources: Smart Africa, The New Times
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By the ID Tech Editorial Team
