By Arret Jatta
President Adama Barrow on Tuesday officially launched The Gambia’s National Identity Management System (NIMS) and inaugurated the National Data Centre in Abuko, describing the initiative as a landmark investment that will modernise public services, strengthen national security and drive the country’s digital transformation.
The president also became the first Gambian to enrol in the new system at its launching at the SDKJCC.
“We are here today to make the system provide every Gambian with a secure, trusted and verified identity,” he said.
Barrow said Gambians have long faced delays in obtaining national identity cards and accessing essential services due to inefficient identity verification systems, adding that that has now been addressed by the new platform which would also eliminate duplication, improve data quality and enable faster, more efficient service delivery.
The Director General of the Gambia Information and Communication Technology Agency (GICTA), Prof Abdou Karim Jallow, said the project introduces the country’s first national digital identity platform, which is not merely a digital identity card but a secure biometric-based identity that allows citizens and residents to verify themselves electronically across multiple government services.
The Chief Executive Officer of Margins ID Group, Moses Baiden, described the inauguration of the National Data Centre as the creation of sovereign digital infrastructure owned by the people of The Gambia.
He said the ISO-certified facility would serve as the foundation for digital government services, e-commerce and secure financial transactions while protecting citizens against digital identity fraud.
Baiden added that the platform would enable government to improve planning, border management, crime prevention and service delivery through accurate and trusted identity data.
The project, implemented through a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) between the Ministry of Interior and Margins ID Group, aims to modernise identity management, strengthen national security, improve public service delivery and support the country’s digital transformation agenda.
