The National Action Plan (NAP) for a biometric-enabled digital identity system in Zambia

• Aug 14, 2025
• 1 min

Zambia faced delays in the implementation of a biometric-enabled digital identity system, which hindered progress in digitizing public service delivery. Although the government had long planned a national electronic ID under the Ministry of Home Affairs, progress was limited. Financial Sector Deepening Zambia (FSD Zambia) sought to address this issue and partnered with the Smart Zambia Institute (SZI) to develop a comprehensive National Action Plan (NAP) that would accelerate the rollout of digital identity infrastructure across the country.

MSC worked closely with the SZI and FSD Zambia to design a detailed and actionable roadmap for the national digital ID system. The team provided strategic advisory support, which focused on project governance, enrollment strategy, technology infrastructure, and software architecture. MSC conducted a cost-benefit analysis to identify key cost drivers of the national identity program and assessed the current system’s design to recommend architectural improvements. The project also involved benchmarking Zambia’s identity system against other national ID programs to align with international best practices.

The Smart Zambia Institute officially declared the National Identity Program a Mission Mode Project, which signaled a heightened commitment to accelerate its implementation. As a result of the roadmap and advisory support, the Government of Zambia launched biometric registration through its Integrated National Registration Information System (INRIS). To date, 7 million digital IDs have been issued and 1.3 million biometric records collected, marking a major milestone in Zambia’s digital transformation journey.

FSD Zambia and the Smart Zambia Institute commissioned the project.