Zambia is seeking an international technology partner to support the rollout of its national digital identification system, a major pillar of the country’s broader digital transformation agenda. The initiative is being led by the Smart Zambia Institute (SZI), which is prioritizing a “home-grown” approach while recognizing the need for global expertise to ensure successful implementation.
According to SZI National Coordinator Percy Chinyama, the government is specifically looking for a system integrator to help deploy, customize, and integrate the country’s digital ID platform, which is based on the Modular Open Source Identity Platform (MOSIP). The partner’s role will focus on technical support and system integration with Zambia’s civil registration infrastructure, while the core system development remains locally driven to build national capacity and ownership.
Chinyama emphasized that the project has entered a critical phase, with the government aiming to establish a highly functional and inclusive digital identity ecosystem that simplifies access to both public and private services. Backed by financing from the World Bank, the initiative is designed around open standards to avoid vendor lock-in and ensure long-term sustainability and adaptability. The government’s vision is for digital ID to become a foundational credential that citizens can use across multiple aspects of daily life, including banking and service delivery.
A key objective of the program is financial inclusion. Officials believe that a reliable digital identity will make it easier for citizens to access banking services, enabling broader participation in the formal economy. The government has set ambitious targets, including completing the full digital ID rollout by the end of the year and integrating at least 80 percent of citizens into the digital economy within the same timeframe.
The digital ID initiative is part of the Digital Zambia Acceleration Project (DZAP), which is supported by more than $100 million in funding from the World Bank’s International Development Association. The project is also supported at the highest levels of government, with significant budget allocations dedicated to advancing digital inclusion.
Zambia is strengthening partnerships to accelerate implementation. The country has signed a memorandum of understanding with Ethiopia to learn from its digital ID experience and is engaging international organizations, including the Gates Foundation, to support the development of its digital public infrastructure. Ultimately, the government views digital identity—alongside emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence—as central to achieving its long-term goal of building a $60 billion digital economy by 2031.