Students in secondary schools in Cameroon are set to receive official digital ID cards, following a collaboration between the Ministry of Secondary Education and telecommunications company MTN Cameroon.
Recent disclosures reveal that both parties have signed an addendum to an existing Memorandum of Understanding, according [1] to a statement from the Ministry. The new student digital ID will build upon [2] a measure implemented in 2024, which assigns a unique identification number to every secondary school student. This number is generated when students submit their personal information through a dedicated portal established by the ministry. Upon entering the information into the portal, the system automatically generates the identification number and links it to the student's profile.
The proposed digital ID will be associated with a centralised database that includes data on students' academic, financial, and disciplinary histories. Officials indicate that this development will simplify the monitoring of student performance, facilitate transfers, and maintain consistency in records among institutions. In addition to the rollout of official digital ID cards, a recent addendum to the memorandum of understanding with MTN Mobile Money Corporation, the fintech branch of MTN Cameroon, aims to enhance the digitization of payments related to education.
Students in Cameroon aged 18 and older [3] are required to obtain the national digital ID, which was recently updated with a new generation launched in February 2025. The decree establishes regulations for the issuance of identity cards detailing various terms and specifying the different features and types of identity documents. These include the national identity card, residence card, refugee card, and national disability card. However, Cameroon had [4] issues with duplicate or multiple identities in the national registry that has raised concerns, particularly as it has been exploited by malicious individuals. According to a police estimate, approximately 3 million Cameroonians may possess more than one identity record, which often translates to multiple ID cards. This could be due to individuals using different names or dates of birth, as well as clerical errors resulting in duplicate entries.
Cameroon begun the process of issuing [5] new national identity cards as part of its initiative to manage digital identities in 2024, Cameroonians can now pre-enroll online to obtain the new national identity card or CNI. This biometric and digital ID has been developed by Augentic, [6] a German tech company in collaboration with the General Delegation for National Security, representing a notable advancement in identity management.
African governments [7] are progressively adopting or considering the adoption of digital identity solutions, often with the assistance of international donors. These digital IDs are anticipated to enhance access to legal identification and promote the utilization of digital services. However, they also prompt concerns regarding privacy and security. As governments and regional institutions advance their digital ID initiatives, there are increasing demands for interoperability and the establishment of a unified continental framework for digital identity.
The rising adoption of digital identities can be attributed to their affordability and convenience when compared to traditional systems. However, these systems also raise concerns regarding the potential for citizen surveillance. This issue has been acknowledged by Nigeria’s Data Protection Bureau in 2022, which urged the National Identity Management Commission [8] to establish stringent standards for privacy and data protection to enhance the nation’s digital ID framework. The National Commissioner said in a statement, “The commission which is the highest data controller in the country should be a model for other data controllers since data is the foundation of everything in the country’s digital economy. There is nothing you would want to do in the digital economy without proper identity and you can’t achieve that without adequate privacy and protection of data.”