Page 65 - The Digital Financial Services (DFS) Ecosystem

ITU-T Focus Group Digital Financial Services
Ecosystem

Figure 4 – Status of National ID Program by Region

3.3 Enrolment Methodologies

Enrollment in identity programs can be mandatory or voluntary. Almost all of the national identity programs we
review (44 of 48) mandate that their target populations (usually all citizens) register in person at a registration
center once they reach the eligible age. Exceptions to this rule are the Elector’s Card program in Congo, the
Aadhaar program in India, the National Identity Card (NID) in Nepal, and the National Database and Registration
Authority (NADRA) in Pakistan. Gelb & Clark (2013) point out that when a large scale national identity program
is mandatory, a country may face a crush of applications, resulting in frustrated recipients and temporary
exclusion if capacity is overrun. Pilot programs, iterative development, or phasing-in programs by area or age
group may help minimize these problems (ibid).
On the other hand, voluntary enrollment is not without its own problems. A voluntary identity card can quickly
become a de facto universal ID card if a program reaches critical mass or is well-integrated with finance, health,
and other functions. Citizens without the card then experience difficulty gaining access to public services
or even basic goods (Bennett & Lyon, 2008). For instance, while participation in India’s Aadhaar program is
voluntary, Aadhaar numbers are legally required for authentication if citizens want to access many services and
programs (Gelb & Mukherjee, 2015). Registration for the NADRA is technically voluntary for Pakistani citizens.
However, they cannot open a bank account or enter into many transactions with the state without an ID card
or a passport (Malik, 2014). We provide more information on enrollment method and challenges in Section 4.4.

A majority of the 48 national identity programs reviewed target all citizens in the country. However, a
number of national identity programs target populations beyond citizens. The programs in Ethiopia, Ghana,
Indonesia, India, Kenya, Nepal, Nigeria, Sudan, and Tanzania issue national identity cards to residents living in
these countries even if they are not citizens. For example, Tanzania extends its national identity card program
enrollment to refugee populations (ID World – ID Community Publications, 2015).
In some cases, the target population for a national identity program is a subset of the total population. The
IDPoor cards in Cambodia are issued specifically to poor individual and households in rural areas (Cambodia
Ministry of Planning, n.d.). The Bank Verification Number (BVN) in Nigeria targets only citizens who are eligible
for banking (Central Bank of Nigeria, 2014a). Voter’s cards in Yemen are for the voting population only.

The target registration age of the programs, meaning the lowest eligible enrollment age and not the age
eligible for the issuance of physical credentials, ranges from birth to age 18. Eighteen is the most common target

49