The Democratic Republic of Congo has abruptly cancelled a $1.2 billion project to establish a national biometric ID system. This decision comes just months after a government watchdog highlighted severe concerns about cost overruns and potential funding irregularities within the project.
Background and Financial Concerns of Congo’s ID System
The initiative, set to be executed by French biometrics firm Idemia in partnership with an intermediary, Afritech, aimed to build a comprehensive civil registry and issue biometric ID cards.
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However, the contract was annulled following a crucial meeting involving multiple government agencies and representatives from the Idemia-Afritech consortium. The Director General of Congo’s National Office for Population Identification (ONIP), Richard Ilunga, confirmed the project’s cancellation but did not provide specific reasons for the decision.
This cancellation follows an investigative report by Bloomberg News, which raised alarms about the project’s financial integrity. The report exposed potential financial mismanagement linked to a series of failed ID projects in Congo, one of the poorest nations globally. Notably, the World Bank had previously refused to finance the project due to the absence of a competitive tendering process, further complicating its viability.
Reactions and Implications
In a confidential memo circulated internally within ONIP, civil servants had flagged “worrying elements” in the proposal from Idemia and Afritech, including “flagrant overpricing” and the risk of the contract becoming an “enormous scam.” In June 2024, the Inspectorate General of Finance, a Congolese government watchdog, released the findings of an internal investigation, which revealed that the proposed financing mechanism for the system was deemed “illegal or impossible.”
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Following these revelations, President Felix Tshisekedi called for a thorough briefing on the contract from the Interior Minister. Although Afritech’s CEO Samba Bathily has not responded to multiple requests for comment, Idemia stated that it was not a direct party to the contract with the Congolese government; instead, it held a contract with Afritech.
The biometric ID project was intended to address a critical gap in Congo, where the absence of a national ID system hinders citizens from accessing essential services, such as opening bank accounts, securing official documents, and registering to vote.
Biometric identity systems, which capture unique attributes like fingerprints, faces, and irises, are seen as a powerful tool for tracking populations and administering public services. Despite the potential benefits, the project’s cancellation underscores the challenges in implementing large-scale digital initiatives in regions with complex governance and financial oversight issues.
