President Kagame Backs Digital Identity Adoption

President Paul Kagame of Rwanda is putting his support behind efforts by the African Union (AU) to accelerate the adoption of digital identities. He expressed his support for the initiative earlier this week during a High-Level Lunch on Digital Transformation in Africa that took place during the 32nd Ordinary Session of the African Union.

Speaking on the matter he praised the benefits in terms of enabling citizens to better participate productively in the regional and global economy, while cautioning that such initiatives can only work if there is trust.

"Information must be protected from unauthorised access. It should be clear who owns the data that people generate and how it will be used," he told attendees.

He also stressed the need for integration between platforms to guard against fragmented efforts across the continent. 

Speaking on Rwanda’s experience with digital technology adoption he stated, "E-government is a powerful tool for improving both the quality and accessibility of government services. In Rwanda, we have used the Irembo platform to make many public records available online, such as land titles, birth certificates, visas, driver's licences, national ID, and even mountain gorilla trekking permits."