DPI Safeguards come online in Zambia’s next phase of digital integration

September 17, 2024
a woman sitting at a table using a laptop computer
Photo: UNDP Zambia

Co-authors:
Rachel Chang, Inclusive Digital Transformation Specialist, UNDP
Tariq Malik, Technical Advisor Digital ID Governance & Safe DPI, UNDP 

Zambia embarked on its digital public infrastructure (DPI) journey to ensure that all adults among its 20 million population have a national digital ID. The Department of National Registration, Passport, and Citizenship (DNRPC) has digitized nearly 81 percent of legacy civil registration records and enrolled 1.5 million people with biometrics by building the Integrated National Registration Information System (INRIS). Currently, over 88 percent of adults aged 16 and older have a physical National Registration Card (NRC)—a relatively high coverage for a Sub-Saharan African country.

Zambia is now in the strategy and design stage of its DPI life cycle, a crucial phase for shaping robust institutional structures around its digital ID systems. Before deploying the system, DNRPC and other government agencies dedicated resources to ensure the appropriate governance and technical capacity were in place.
 

diagram

Zambia's Progress on the DPI Lifecycle (Source: Leveraging DPI for Safe and Inclusive Societies, Interim Report, 2024)

The goal now is to design inclusive and safe processes, build trust in the system, and actively engage all players and partners for streamlined and efficient coordination. As part of its commitment to a safe and inclusive digital transformation, in June 2024 Zambia joined the 50-in-5 campaign—an initiative to strengthen digital cooperation with other countries, to accelerate its digital progress.
 

Strategies for system transition challenges 

At the strategy and design stage, Zambia must overcome several system risks: 

Technical risks
  • Migration risks: the risk of transitioning from a legacy National Registration Card (NRC) system to a new digital ID system, while designing for a transition period where both systems need to run simultaneously.
  • Infrastructure risks: risks related to phasing in and deploying the new digital ID system. This requires establishing infrastructure such as biometric registration kits for mass registration, constructing secure data centres and enhancing connectivity.
  • Interoperability risks: the risk of interoperability problems and potential data protection concerns, given that multiple agencies are issuing their own IDs and collecting biometric data using different Automated Fingerprint Identification Systems (AFIS) and Automated Biometric Identification Systems (ABIS).
  • Internet penetration risk: the risk posed by the lack of a supportive ecosystem of institutions that adopt inclusive approaches (including treating digital ID equally to physical ID), as Zambia only has a 56.8 percent internet penetration 
     
Operational risks
  • Data safety and privacy: an increased risk of security breaches and inconsistent data management practices as biometric information is collected among multiple agencies for their own ID requirements.  

  • Coordination: risks can arise as the county transitions to a unified digital ID system: this requires effective coordination among institutions and stakeholders implementing a legal ID system (Ministry of Home Affairs and Internal Security) and the Smart Zambia Institute (digitalization). 

  • Digital ID coverage gap: risks may emerge when accelerating biometric enrollment of eligible citizens and providing them with a credential (digital ID). This requires enhancing outreach mechanisms with additional registration centres. Only 1.5 out of 9 million people have been enrolled with biometrics, although 89 percent have a paper-based National Registration Card. 

  • Stakeholder commitment: there is the risk that only a few ecosystem players recognize the need for digital registration. As understanding grows, so does the commitment to deploying a national digital ID.

  • Training requirements: the risk of a lack of capacity; training staff in over 145 offices across 10 provinces on the Data Protection Act requires added capacity and coordination. 
     

Normative risks
  • Legal framework: risks could arise when updating the National Registration Act, Citizenship Act, and other key regulations, although this will further align Zambia’s identity system with modern digital standards and promote inclusivity and legal clarity.  

  • Harmonizing data: there are risks around inadequate training; harmonizing data across various acts and institutions requires appropriate training for personnel handling personal data and greater public awareness about data protection rights and practices. 

  • Refugee and asylum-seeker inclusion: there is a risk of impacting marginalized groups; Zambia hosts over 105,000 refugees, asylum-seekers, and other persons of concern. With mass registration efforts paused, coverage and access to basic services for these individuals may be impacted, risking exclusion if integration and collaboration with UNHCR data are not prioritized.
     

people lining up in front of a government office

Zambian citizens queue to register for the national registration card (NRC) at a registration office in the city of Lusaka, Zambia.

Addressing risks and a path forward for Zambia

In June 2024, the Ministry of Home Affairs and Internal Security launched the Legal Digital ID Model Governance Assessment, designed by UNDP, which engages government and civil society to evaluate key governance areas for Zambia’s digital ID implementation.  

The assessment was a significant step towards tackling these risks, and it advanced conversations on coordination, inclusivity, and safety. It also marks the beginning of putting the Universal DPI Safeguards principles into practice, laying the groundwork for best practices such as comprehensive data protection and a collaborative governance approach.

The Department of National Registration, Passport, and Citizenship is actively addressing these risks through the next phase of the INRIS project plan which will focus on public awareness campaigns, establishing registration points near populated communities and introducing a unique legal ID number. At the same time, the old system will be phased out, systems will be integrated with an API manager and child registration for early legal identity will be improved.  

As Zambia embarks on this journey, the potential for digital transformation is immense. A civil society member who participated in the model governance assessment in June shared this optimism, stating, “Working in the fintech industry has made me realize the critical importance of digital identities. They eliminate the friction users experience by enabling compliant, quick and easy onboarding, allowing fast access to quality financial services. I am pleased that we are moving towards digital identities, as this will streamline customer onboarding and enhance the Zambian financial sector’s efforts to root out bad actors through a single source of truth.” – Mbuyu Makayi, Technical Lead at Chipper Cash, and Community Member at the BongoHive Technology and Innovation Hub. 

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