Global: Mauritania Unveils Digital ID App to Enhance Service Access and Governance

Mauritania has launched a new digital ID app as part of a pilot program designed to improve access to essential services and enhance governance. This initiative, led by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), aims to provide the Mauritanian population with verifiable digital identities.

The project began with a 2022 UNDP request for proposals for an open-source digital identity pilot that adheres to privacy-by-design principles and industry standards. Two years later, the UNDP has partnered with the Ministry of Digital Transformation, Innovation, and Public Sector Modernization (MTNIMA) to develop the e-ID Mauritania mobile app.

The digital ID app will allow residents to authenticate their identities online, promoting greater social inclusion, reducing fraud, and streamlining administrative processes. This initiative reflects a broader global trend towards digital public infrastructure (DPI), which experts from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace highlight as vital for accelerating global adoption.

Carnegie Endowment emphasizes that DPI includes critical digital systems such as digital identification, payments, and data exchange platforms, which collectively boost service delivery and economic development. They stress the importance of robust and inclusive DPI to bridge digital gaps and support sustainable development, especially in emerging economies.

Despite the potential benefits, expanding DPI presents challenges. A recent meeting by Caribou Digital and the UNDP identified several risks, including internal capacity issues for system development and procurement within government-led DPI initiatives. Additionally, ensuring interoperability—a key feature of DPI—can disrupt traditional commercial models by commoditizing services like identity verification and payments. The emphasis on open source also poses risks of ‘abandonware,’ necessitating effective management of infrastructure sustainability.

Caribou Digital underscores the need to clearly distinguish whether interventions are genuinely DPI in nature and their impact compared to generic digital transformation efforts. They advocate for robust monitoring and evaluation frameworks to assess the effectiveness of DPI initiatives.