South Africa develops verifiable digital identity for smartphones
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Daily Maverick
Lohan Spies, founder of DIDx, says South Africa is developing a verifiable digital identity system for phones, distinct from Estonia’s card-based model. The infrastructure is designed to take account of local realities and the population’s digital skills, according to remarks by Spies reported by Daily Maverick.
South Africa is developing a verifiable digital identity system accessible on smartphones, Lohan Spies, founder of DIDx, a South African digital identity and payments infrastructure company, said in an interview with Daily Maverick. He described a fully digital model, unlike Estonia’s card-based approach.
The project is part of the South African Department of Home Affairs’ 2025–2030 strategy, which aims to replace administrative procedures that rely heavily on paper with digital services. The system is to be built around a secure digital identity, an automated risk assessment engine and data exchanges, allowing authentication via a phone or partner organisations.
Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber said digital identities could speed up paperless procedures for banking, work visas and company registration. Spies said the South African model was not a copy of Estonia’s system, as the contexts and digital skills of the population were different.
Summary produced with the help of artificial intelligence tools, under AFREEQUE’s editorial responsibility.
