SMART Zambia National Coordinator says Zambia’s journey towards a robust digital identity system has evolved significantly thanks to timely support from the World Bank.
Percy Chinyama told delegates at the ongoing ID4Africa Conference in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, that while various identity interventions existed in the past, none came to full fruition until recently.
“The identity story in Zambia started a long time ago… it is clear that those interventions have never come to full fruition until recently, thanks to the World Bank who have supported us with the needed resources,” he said.
Speaking during a panel discussion on Digital IDs, Mr. Chinyama emphasized that for an identity system to be truly useful, an inclusive ecosystem must be created.
He revealed that Government has now brought together all key institutions under a common governance structure to ensure a unified digital direction.
“It is clear that for an identity system to be useful, we have to create an ecosystem. Those past interventions were progressive and valid in their time, but now we have to bring everybody together,” Mr. Chinyama added.
The four-day conference, running from 12th to 15th May 2026, is being held under the theme: “Digital Identity: From DPI to Digital Public Ecosystems.”
