By Aaron Kamanga
Zambia’s digital transformation towards a secure, inclusive, and government-wide digital identity system has become a standout story at the ID4Africa 2026 conference, with Smart Zambia National Coordinator, Percy Chinyama, detailing the country’s progress before an international audience of policymakers, technologists, and development partners.
Speaking during a high-level panel discussion on Digital IDs, Mr Chinyama explained that while Zambia has experimented with various identity interventions over the years, none achieved lasting success until the government adopted a coordinated ecosystem approach backed by the World Bank.
“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, which has supported us with the needed resources,” he said.
Mr Chinyama stressed that a useful identity system cannot be built in silos, as it requires an inclusive ecosystem that brings together all key stakeholders.
He revealed that the Zambian government has now unified its critical institutions under a common governance framework, including the Department of National Registration under the Ministry of Home Affairs and Internal Security, the Ministry of Technology and Science, and the SMART Zambia Institute, to ensure a single, coherent 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,” he added.
The four-day ID4Africa 2026 conference, running from 12th to 15th May 2026 in Abidjan, is being held under the theme: “Digital Identity: From DPI (Digital Public Infrastructure) to Digital Public Ecosystems.”
