The Zambian government is planning to complete the national identification cards’ digitisation process, tagged National Registrations Cards (NRC), before the end of next year.
The Home Affairs deputy minister Stephen Kampyongo said the ministry is working on the plan of converting the data, from as far back as 1964, into digital format.
Reports from the ministry suggest NRC will have the normal details of individuals such as biodata as well as education qualifications.
Ministry of Home Affairs in a report said it is the government’s move to convert all manual data into digital form to facilitate the computerisation of the national registration office.
Kampyongo further said data would be installed on a computerised system then transferred to a programme called Integrated National Registration and Information System.
The deputy minister hopes that by April next year, the first Digital Identity Card comprising data of every citizen including the passport details, the biodata, education qualifications would be ready.
In 2010, during the 10th Infopoverty World Conference in New York, United States the minister for communication and transport Geoffrey Lungwangwa said the government would boost ICT infrastructure through fibre-optic projects.
The broadband penetration would facilitate reliable, fast, affordable and cheap Internet connectivity to propel the country’s socio-economic status for millennium development goals, he had noted.
According to Lungwangwa, the government would ensure that by 2015, rural areas are centres of ICT as the Zambian government would increase Internet and mobile services from the 2010 levels of 57 percent to 100 percent.
A report recently released by Zambia Information and Communication Authority indicated an increase in Internet use from about 34,000 users in 2010 to nearly 50,000 in 2011.
According to Ministry of Communication and Transport, the government’s ICT policy is to provide e-services in the education, health, governance, ministries and departments for faster, reliable and superior services.
The digitisation exercise is set for roll out from Lusaka, Chongwe, Chilanga to Kafue in that order, and later to other regions.
