Protecting the identity of Togo’s citizens

CBN introduces a new National ID system

Togo’s National Identification Program (National ID) registers all Togolese and entitles nationals to hold an ID Card. The Card is used as proof of ID and enables people to apply for all government and financial services including obtaining a Passport or Driver’s License, writing national educational examinations and obtaining a bank loan, among others.

After a successful partnership with CBN on its passport program, the Directorate General for National Documentation (DGDN) engaged us to strengthen its National ID Program. Prior to our involvement, this ID was a paper-based document that was issued manually.

Our work started with a comprehensive requirements analysis. We documented business processes, and then created a detailed technical specification for a National Identification System. Our solution included:

• A central registry that holds the data of all citizens;
• A system that is deployed and operated at 39 locations across the country;
• A biometric to ensure that each individual is enrolled in the system only once;
• Interface with other databases to authenticate individual identities;
• On-line and ‘store and forward’ capabilities to allow for efficient operations in locations where infrastructure is a challenge;
• An ongoing training program to ensure a high standard of operators;
• The design of a secure ID document; and
• Secure manufacture and print of all National ID Cards.

Today, the National ID Card is the most trusted form of ID in Togo. Since the launch of the system, CBN and the DGDN have collaborated on a number of initiatives to extend and enhance the program to serve the evolving needs of the Togolese Government and its citizens. These include a mobile enrollment and image capture to serve citizens anywhere in the country, new professional and police ID cards and leveraging the system to support identification for elections.