The transition to digital identity is rapidly growing, and African countries are not left out. To improve access to national ID cards for its citizens, the Cameroonian government has signed a deal with Augentic to produce a new biometric national ID card. The agreement was signed in Yaoundé on May 13 between Augentic, represented by CEO Labronot Carreti, and the Cameroonian government, represented by the Director General for National Security, Martin Mbarga Nguele.

The £70 million expenditure will be allocated as follows: £40 million ($43 million) will be used to initiate the process and get the system operational, while the remaining £30 million will be used to renew the equipment and infrastructure. Since the deal is based on a Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) model, the infrastructure and all related assets will be handed over to the government once the operational phase is complete.

A total of 68 new multi-functional structures will be built to facilitate the issuance of ID cards, including enrollment centers in regional and divisional headquarters, and three ultra-modern ID production centers in Douala, Yaoundé, and Garoua. The deal with Augentic also includes the development of refugee cards, ID cards for the disabled, biometric short-stay permits, and IDs for DGSN personnel.

It is believed that this initiative will eliminate the hurdles citizens face in obtaining a national ID card, making it possible to receive the biometric national ID card within 48 hours of application.

I see a future in Africa where paper-based identity systems will become obsolete. We will be able to have a digital wallet on our mobile devices that will retain all forms of identity, including driver's licenses, national ID cards, and international passports...