The Benin Government undertook a major initiative to address the lack of identity documents for a large portion of its population. By implementing a biometric enrollment system, about 90% of citizens were registered into the National Registry of Physical Persons between 2017 and 2018. The government also joined the World Bank’s WURI project to develop a digital identification (fID) system, which links biometric and biographic data to enable secure access to services like education, finance, and healthcare.
The fID system, accessible to residents and citizens abroad, offers a lifelong digital identity certificate. This effort increased inclusion, with nearly 99% of the population enrolled. Vulnerable groups, including women and children, have greatly benefited, with services like microcredit programs and educational access simplified through a mobile application for QR code verification.
