Cameroon delivers on digital ID

also ft: Another Data Privacy case

March 08, 2025

CybAfriqué is a space for news and analysis on cyber, data, and information security on the African continent.

HIGHLIGHTS

Cameroon delivers digital ID

For the first time in their adult life, scores of Cameroonians received national ID cards earlier this week. For a population used to waiting three years or more, the reaction to receiving their new generation biometric national ID card within just two days has been positive.

The ID card contains an electronic chip, a Machine Readable Zone (MRZ), and a QR code. The biometric component of the card captures the ten fingerprints of the owner which can be verified digitally, using hand-held scanners, for reliable identity verification.

Getting a national ID card in the West African country used to be an ordeal for citizens. Several citizens who have applied for the card have had to carry an old, fading receipt of payment in lieu of an ID card. An average person can go through a waiting period of over five years after applying for the card which is mandatory for all citizens who are 18. Some pay about $40 or more for faster processing. This ID card issue has also disenfranchised many Cameroonians because it is a prerequisite for voter registration during elections.

The journey to this new era of ID issuance started in 2021 when Cameroon first launched a biometric passport deal with Augentic. The deal changed the passport issuance situation in the country and made it possible for citizens to get biometric passports within 48 hours of applying.

The adoption of biometric identity means is currently growing in Africa as countries continue to campaign for a transition to digital governance typical of modern societies. Which we have discussed in other issues as putting the cart before the horse.

Despite warnings, implementation has continued, and modest growth is being recorded across the continent. Regional projects like the ECOWAS Regional Biometric ID Cards, and national initiatives in Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa and Kenya have yielded contested results.

Issues like corruption in contracting and administration of deals, overpromise and under-delivery, abuse of collected data for discrimination and surveillance, delayed access and affordability are among many other issues that continue to hinder adoption.

In Cameroon for instance, while the government seems to have solved the problem of producing the cards in record time, the cost of getting one is still an issue for the citizens who still have to pay around FCFA 16,000 (US$26) to obtain the card, which is around one-third of the country’s minimum wage of 41,875(US$69). This is also an issue in South Africa where citizens have also complained about the fee, along with the hassle of waiting.

Data Privacy is on a roll in Nigerian courts

Another foundational Data Privacy case has been adjudged in Nigeria this week. A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered Eat'n'Go, owners of the Domino’s Pizza and Cold Stone Creamery franchise in Africa, to pay ₦3 million ($1,997) to Chukwunweike Akosa Araka for sending direct marketing messages to his mobile line without his consent.

Chukwunweike’s case against Eat’n’Go started in July 2024 when he filed a lawsuit against Jumia Food and Eat'n'Go alleging the breach of his privacy right under the Nigerian Data Protection Act 2023, by sharing and retaining his contact details for direct marketing purposes without his consent.

Chukwunweike had earlier in March 2023 used the now-defunct Jumia Food to order from Domino's Pizza only to be “bombarded with direct marketing messages from Domino's Pizza” several months later. His request via email for Domino’s Pizza to stop sending the message was ignored.

Olumide Babalola, a Nigerian Data Privacy lawyer had earlier sued Soko Lending Company Limited, also known as Soko Loans, over alleged invasion of privacy, among other reasons in 2022 and Prince Ebeano Supermarket, located in Lagos Nigeria in August 2023 for a personal data breach.

Another lawsuit was filed by a UTME applicant’s mother, against the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board in 2024, a CBT centre, and an employee when the telephone number of the minor was illegally used to send her inappropriate message.

Our highlight last week covered the case against BD East Africa and Safaricom in Kenya where the ODPC fined the two companies for processing the contact information of a former BD East Africa employee illegally.

The direct contact information like telephone numbers, and email addresses constitutes Personally Identifiable Information (PII) which according to Data Protection laws must be guarded against unnecessary access and can only be processed based on the consent of the data subject.

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