Digital transformation is showing progress around the world. In Africa, the Zambian government is seeking an international partner through the Smart Zambia Institute (SZI) to support its planned digital ID rollout.
In a report by state broadcaster ZNBC, SZI National Coordinator Percy Chinyama revealed that Zambians are implementing the digital ID system through a ‘home-grown’ approach. However, he acknowledged that international partners may provide additional expertise.
Specifically, Zambia is looking for a system integrator to provide services for the deployment, customization, and integration of a Modular Open-Source Identity Platform (MOSIP)-based digital ID system into the national civil registration architecture, among those certified as MOSIP system integrators was Laxton.
“What we are doing now, with the financing we received from the World Bank, is building an ecosystem. That ecosystem will require an application system, and we have insisted that this system be built by Zambians. Most importantly, we want it to use open standards so that we are not locked in and can maintain and sustain it for the sake of long-term sustainability,” Chinyama told ZNBC. According to him, the first step is to choose a service provider that can effectively implement the plan.
“Once you have the digital ID, it will be something you can use across different aspects of your life where identification is required. We want to reach a point where everyone with a bank account is properly identified. Most importantly, one of the functional strengths of the digital ID is that simply having it can automatically make you bankable.”
In January, Chinyama assured Zambians that the digital ID program would be fully implemented by the end of 2026. Aligning with this plan, SZI also aims to ensure that at least 80% of the country’s residents are included in the digital economy by the end of the year.
According to the Presidential Delivery Unit, a unit within Zambia’s presidency that monitors high-priority projects, significant financial allocations have been made in this year’s budget to support the government’s digital inclusion objectives.
The African nation’s digital ID initiative is part of the Digital Zambia Acceleration Project (DZAP), which has received over $100 million in funding from the World Bank’s International Development Association.
Zambia’s digital ID progress
Just last year, Zambia and the Czech Republic inked a collaborative deal to fast-track the digitization of key economic sectors in the African nation. The arrangement marks the launch of the “Kwenyu Pact,” a bilateral partnership focused on measurable outcomes over dialogue.
Meanwhile, during the 2025 Digital Government Africa Summit in October, the SMART Zambia Institute announced a partnership with cloud solutions firm Inq and South African tech company Mezzanine to drive digital transformation in the country. Under the partnership, the Zambian government will host its systems locally for full data sovereignty.
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Source: https://coingeek.com/zambia-builds-homegrown-digital-id-seeks-international-expertise/
