Omaheke governor Pijoo Nganate says rural communities, particularly the marginalised, need to be convinced to buy into electronic identification documents (e-IDs) the government intends to introduce, if it is to be inclusive.
He was speaking on Monday when he welcomed a team from the Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security working in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), that will visit all the seven constituencies this week to explain to people what the chip-based e-ID will mean.
The governor’s concerns were fuelled by the realisation that marginalised communities in the Omaheke region, primarily composed of the San population, make up a large number of the country’s total marginalised population, representing a significant sub-group facing deep developmental disparities.
According to the Namibia Statistics Agency 2023 Population and Housing Census, the San population makes up 11.7% of the total population in the Omaheke region.
The challenges the community faces include low literacy levels compared to national standards, which might make most of them fail to understand the concept behind the new e-ID.
“Explain what this means to our rural community . . . so that they are also convinced to buy into this important government initiative,” says the team led by the deputy executive director for civil registration in the ministry, Jackson Wandjiva.
They told the governor that the e-ID, which is set to be rolled out in September this year, is a chip-based document containing a person’s details that can only be shared by an institution with that person’s consent.
Geraldine Itana of the UNDP says the new e-IDs will be renewed every 10 years to ensure the information remains relevant.
“This will also help to weed out ghost workers and beneficiaries from institutions like medical aid funds and pension funds,” she says.
Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia spokesperson Rackel Shikongo says the authority will provide certification for the e-ID and ensure people get a replacement for any lost cards because there will be a database for information.
UNDP digital ID specialist Debashis Nag gave the example of India, where the same system is in use, saying the cycle of the e-ID runs from birth to death as it removes the need for multiple identity cards like the birth certificate, the health card, social security card, replacing them with a single number-based e-ID.
