INDUSTRY WATCH: GOVERNMENT
authorities and their joint will to succeed, were of crucial
importance for the success of the project.
The collaboration illustrated how a contracting public authority
and an industrial contractor can work together effectively,
based on a relationship of mutual trust, to define a national
project on a large-scale and thus modernise the country.
Making the move towards a deeply transformed
system, with digital identity
Cameroon and Gemalto were convinced that securing the
national identity of citizens and protecting their privacy could
not be reduced to a simple upgrade of a system, nor could
it be limited to just supplying a new generation of identity
documents. At the same time, it was necessary to supply the
means to adapt to the changing security, social, economic
and technical environment.
This meant the system had to be deeply transformed at
all levels: whether it was technical requirements, reliability,
security, long-term durability, project management or
governance. The scope of action, previously limited to the
production of identity documents, was thus extended to a
complete IT overhaul of the identification system, the main
objective being to further increase the level of security and
protection provided.
To enable Cameroon to meet its objectives, Gemalto offered
a structured tool, running within a trusted digital environment,
with a high level of security, interoperability and data
protection: that tool was digital identity.
Choosing the path of modernisation to
boost the economy
With the growth in electronic transactions and exchanges,
digital identity offers citizens the modern means of
identification they need to have secure and straightforward
access to online services, whilst ensuring their privacy
is respected.
In addition to greater security and better protection of
identity that it brings, Cameroon’s stronger identity scheme is
opening the door to a digital economy of trust which it will be
able to rely on. It thus contributes to the economic and social
development of the country, and to its competitiveness, giving
it greater national and international reach.
Reinforcing trust
The reason why Cameroon was so clearly determined to
bring its civil identity data and documents into a secure
information scheme – in particular in the context of
combating document fraud and identity theft – was because
it is fully aware of the importance of the identification of
persons as the foundation of a society which recognises the
rightful value of its citizens.
68
INTELLIGENTCIO
Choosing the path of modernisation, making the undertaking
to protect the people of Cameroon, their rights and identity,
and recognising their rightful value, are all means for the
State to consolidate the relationship of trust that has
become essential to lay the foundations for the Cameroonian
citizenship of the future.
Article courtesy of Gemalto, the world leader in digital security. n
What is an electronic ID card
and what is digital identity?
An eID card fulfils various roles: it acts as a traditional
means of identification, as a travel document, and finally,
as a passkey to each citizen’s personal data.
The public has become accustomed to smart cards
through their use in the banking system, and as a result
their reliability is no longer questioned. eID cards are
now also being used as a means of accessing an array of
services that were previously difficult to synchronise.
The electronic card and its related digital identity can be
used for identification, but also for authentication and
electronic signature. Thus, a national ID scheme enabled
several previously complex information paths to be
simplified. It can be used as:
• A representation of sovereign authority, certifying that
the holder is in a legitimate legal position with respect
to his or her national jurisdiction.
• A means for citizens to access services and exercise their
rights and duties with respect to the public authorities.
• A genuine seal of authenticity that the citizen can use
to authenticate his or her actions, regardless of the
exchange formats and media used, since the data used
to ensure security and trust also guarantee the legal
validity of any transactions certified in this way.
• By making citizens a central part of the creation of a
modernised state – giving them an active role rather
than a peripheral role as a passive user of public
services – public services are simultaneously, de facto,
repositioning themselves. Identity is made up of a
private set of data, of which the State is the custodian.
The eID card is also a passkey to a system in which
everyone has their place and can therefore make their
contribution and have their say (e.g. through elections
and referendums): eDemocracy. At a time when security
has become a priority, eID seemed essential.
As evidenced by The World Bank’s Identification for
Development report of January 2016, digital technologies,
including biometrics, are providing a unique opportunity
to build a robust and efficient identification system for the
benefits of all, when backed by a strong political will.
www.intelligentcio.com