In Togo, the start of biometric registration operations as part of the unique identification number project is scheduled for the last quarter of this year. This was announced by the Agence nationale d’identification (ANID), during public consultations, notably with the media, on Wednesday August 30, 2023 at the ARCEP offices. ANID is piloting the WURI (West Africa Unique Identification for Regional Integration and Inclusion) project in Togo, an initiative supported by the World Bank.

According to information shared with the media, this campaign is scheduled to last seven months, with one month for each region, and two months for Grand-Lomé, the country’s most populous region.

However, as a prelude to this stage, a pilot registration campaign will be organized in certain localities, to test the identification platform, communicate, raise awareness and mobilize the country’s different social strata.

At the end of this campaign, the aim is for 95% of the population to be registered with their biometric markers (surname & first names, photo, fingerprints, iris prints).

Eventually, this unique identification number (NIU) will be a 12-digit, unintelligible code, issued to Togolese residents, both nationals and foreigners (present in the country after six months), we are told.

Media consultations

The meeting with the media was also an opportunity to exchange views with these players, present the initiatives and gather their views and concerns for phase 2 of the program.

This meeting has been organized with a view to exchanging views with you, the media players, not only to present the project, but also and above all to gather your opinions and expectations in order to ensure the successful implementation of the WURI-Togo project, which, it should be remembered, is a sub-regional program.

said Silété Roselin Devo, ANID’s CEO, at the opening of the meeting. Prior to the event, ANID had met with local authorities and representatives of the Agoè Nyivé communes.

The WURI-Togo project is supported by the World Bank to the tune of $72 million over a 5-year period.