Developing robust digital ID has surpassed being important for just identity. Future solutions are competing to fit different application modes across travel and border security, national health, e-commerce, banking, administration and the private and public sector. The aspirations of developing countries are also closely intertwined with achieving digitalised economies and secure legal procedures for citizens to have their own digital identity.
On the path to digital ID success in Africa, some advancing third-world countries like the Togolese Republic are leveraging global trends in IAM and government policy to afford their citizens the life-changing benefits and services to improve quality of life.
An estimated 1.1 billion people worldwide have no digital ID, and therefore no financial presence, according to organisations like the Standard Chartered Bank and the World Bank’s Identification for Development (ID4D) Global Dataset. More statistics suggest that around half a billion people in Africa have no form of legal identification.
The Togolese Republic is one of the countries fighting against the odds to achieve a digitalised society, announcing this week to have completed a relaunch of an electronic visa issuance system (e-Visa), known as Togo VOYAGE. The fully-digitalised website is set not only to improve citizen’s lives but its availability should boost tourism and entice travellers to stay in the country, indicating the digital transformation the country has already achieved.
Travellers will be encouraged by the easy systems of the new e-visa to submit application and payments remotely in advance, without the need to visit an immigration office or embassy. In the present climate, this single platform adept with capabilities for unvaccinated travellers to pay for PCR tests will ease multiple application processes for travellers.
It collects and holds personal data such as names, contact details and passport numbers to simply one on-boarding process.
The platform has been hailed a ‘catalyst for digital transformation in public administration’ in the country and is currently deployed at airport borders, with applications planned to grow to land and sea borders later in the year.
