Public Management

More than 500 million Africans have no legal identity-World Bank

Tuesday, 02 October 2018 05:01

About half of the 1 billion world citizens without an official identity live in Africa, Kristalina Georgieva, World Bank’s CEO, indicated last week during a meeting organized in the framework of the United Nations general assembly.

Indeed, according to figures published by World Bank, Sub-Saharan African citizens represent the great majority (494 million) of people without an official proof of identity. This thus implies that in Sub-Saharan African countries, about one out of every two citizens do not have an identity card.

In addition, the ID4D (Identification for development) - Findex 2017 indicates that out of the 99 countries surveyed, ten African countries show low ID coverage rate and in seven out of those ten countries there is a large gap between women and men's ID coverage rate.  

Moreover, the UNICEF indicates that more than 2/3 of African children under-five hold no birth certificate. According to experts, this exacerbates the lack of access to health, education and financing services for most of the African population. It also creates important difficulties in the valorization of their political and judicial rights (voting rights notably).

To tend to this problem, World Bank announced that $6 billion is needed to implement projects such as the ID4D, aimed at running large digital identification and civil registration campaigns. This should help improve financial inclusion, governance, regional integration and promotion of public investments in the human capital via educational and civil protection programs.

We must work together to create inclusive and trusted digital IDb systems that can unlock economic opportunities for the world most vulnerable people”, Kristalina Georgieva indicated.

Let’s note that about $1 billion is currently being raised to promote digital identification in 30 countries, 23 of which are African.

Moutiou Adjibi Nourou

Additional Info

  • communiques: Non
  • couleur: N/A
On the same topic
• IFC teams up with AfDB and Nigeria’s EbonyLife to assess a new fund for African cinema• Sector could grow to $20 bln annually and create 20 mln...
• BRICS plans a guarantee fund to reduce political and financial risks in developing countries.• The fund will be managed by the New Development Bank...
BEAC granted Afreximbank the first-ever foreign access to the CEMAC public securities market. Cameroon raised $359.3 million via a...
(EBID) - The Board of Directors of the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID) held its 92nd Ordinary Session on June 30, 2025. The Board...
Most Read
01

• Global coffee consumption projected to hit a record 169.4 million 60-kg bags in 2025/2026, up from...

Coffee: Global Consumption Expected to Reach Record Level in 2025/2026
02

In a West African financial landscape marked by tighter regulation of the fintech sector, digital fi...

In Five Years, Francophone Africa Will be A Major Force in African Tech –Régis Bamba
03

• Burkina Faso-based financial group, Vista Group Holding, has acquired a majority stake in Société ...

Burkina Faso: Vista Group Acquires Controlling Stake in Société Générale
04

Transport and food prices have been climbing steadily across Africa in recent years. In Côte d’Ivoir...

Côte d’Ivoire’s Fuel Price Cuts Haven’t Slashed Transport Costs–Yet
05

• Kenyan President William Ruto signs strategic partnership with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to b...

William Ruto in London: New Agreement Aims to Double Kenya-UK Trade by 2030
Enter your email to receive our newsletter

Ecofin Agency provides daily coverage of nine key African economic sectors: public management, finance, telecoms, agribusiness, mining, energy, transport, communication, and education.
It also designs and manages specialized media, both online and print, for African institutions and publishers.

SALES & ADVERTISING

Benjamin FLAUX
bf@agenceecofin.com 
Téls: +41 22 301 96 11 
Mob: +41 78 699 13 72
Média kit : Download

EDITORIAL
redaction@agenceecofin.com

More information
Team
Publisher

ECOFIN AGENCY

Mediamania Sarl
Rue du Léman, 6
1201 Geneva
Switzerland

 

Ecofin Agency is a sector-focused economic news agency, founded in December 2010. Its web platform was launched in June 2011. ©Mediamania.

 
 

Please publish modules in offcanvas position.