Zambia Boosts Digital ID, Refugee Aid with Global Allies

Published Date : 10/3/2025 

Zambia is collaborating with international institutions and continental leaders to develop a domestic digital ID system and enhance support for refugees and host communities. The project, backed by the World Bank and UNHCR, aims to improve socio-economic opportunities and essential services. 

Zambia is engaging with a continental leader in digital identity and international institutions to issue digital identity to its people and improve the conditions for refugees and their host communities. The government is launching the new Zambia Refugee and Host Communities Project (ZRHCP) with $30 million in support from the World Bank and technical assistance from UNHCR. The funding is provided under the IDA20 Window for Host Communities and Refugees (WHR).

The World Bank committed $120 million earlier this year to support Zambia’s implementation of digital public infrastructure (DPI). Biometric national registration cards will be issued to refugees and former refugees under the initiative, managed by Zambia’s Ministry of Home Affairs and Internal Security (MoHAIS).

Home Affairs and Internal Security Minister Jack Mwiimbu stated that the biometric cards are intended “to improve access to socio-economic opportunities for both refugees and host communities.” The government also hopes to enhance access to essential services. Schools, healthcare facilities, water systems, and roads will be upgraded as part of the project, aiming to enable sustainable development.

Zambia participated in a workshop with the UNHCR on forcibly displaced people at ID4Africa’s 2024 AGM. There are currently 112,000 refugees and forcibly displaced persons residing in Zambia, and the project is planned to be completed by the end of October 2028.

In another significant move, leaders of SMART Zambia and Ethiopia’s national ID authority have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on digital identity implementation. SMART Zambia Institute National Coordinator Percy Chinyama highlighted the value of digital ID for public access to healthcare, education, banking, and social services, as well as benefits to government transparency and accountability.

The agreement, signed by Chinyama and Yodahe Zemichael, ED of Ethiopia’s NIDP, deepens bilateral relations between the countries. Chinyama noted during the Africa Innovation Conference in April in Addis Ababa that Zambia aims to follow Ethiopia’s model for national digital identity, which is centered on a domestically developed system.

Zambia’s E-Government Division is also taking proposals as it prepares to tender a contract for a Mobile Virtual Network Operator for the SMART Zambia Institute (SZI) under a public-private partnership (PPP). The goal is to upgrade the e-government platform to reduce the cost of service delivery and enable the agency to tailor the services it is rolling out. The current platform is hindering government efforts to identify duplicate social program beneficiaries. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS): 

Q: What is the Zambia Refugee and Host Communities Project (ZRHCP)?

A: The ZRHCP is a project launched by the Zambian government with support from the World Bank and UNHCR, aimed at improving socio-economic opportunities and essential services for refugees and host communities. It includes the issuance of biometric national registration cards.

Q: How much funding is the World Bank providing for Zambia's digital public infrastructure?

A: The World Bank committed $120 million earlier this year to support Zambia’s implementation of digital public infrastructure (DPI).

Q: What is the purpose of the biometric national registration cards?

A: The biometric national registration cards are intended to improve access to socio-economic opportunities for both refugees and host communities, as well as enhance access to essential services.

Q: What is the significance of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between SMART Zambia and Ethiopia’s national ID authority?

A: The MoU deepens bilateral relations between Zambia and Ethiopia and aims to collaborate on digital identity implementation, following Ethiopia’s model for a domestically developed system.

Q: What is the goal of upgrading the e-government platform in Zambia?

A: The goal is to reduce the cost of service delivery, enable the agency to tailor the services it is rolling out, and address issues such as identifying duplicate social program beneficiaries. 

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