Rwanda’s $200M digitalization project halfway done: official

In Rwanda, the government says its Rwf280 billion ($200 million) Digital Acceleration Project is halfway done.

Speaking to lawmakers recently, the CEO of the Rwanda Information Society Authority (RISA), Innocent Bagamba Muhizi, said the project is 55% complete, with the government targeting completion by 2026.

The World Bank funds the project and aims to digitalize public services and integrate emerging technology to improve education, health, and agriculture. It supports access to smart devices in marginalized communities and nationwide digital literacy programmes. It also funds connectivity for remote government offices, schools, and hospitals.

The project further aims to boost digital ID uptake in the country, channeling $39.3 million to the cause.

“The goal is to enable citizens to carry out secure digital transactions—like opening a bank account—remotely, using digital IDs instead of physical cards. This will be supported by an application installed on smartphones that authenticates users via biometric data,” Muhizi said.

Rwanda ranks as one of Africa’s leaders in digitalization. The East African nation ranked third in the African Leapfrog Index, behind South Africa and Kenya, in digital public services. A separate report by the International Data Center Authority ranked Rwanda first on the continent for digital readiness.

UK welcomes eVisas, digital ID transition faces trust setback

Elsewhere, the U.K. government has transitioned from physical visa documents to eVisas to boost security and reduce processing times. However, the Labour administration’s push to transition to digital IDs is facing pushback, with public distrust emerging as the greatest hurdle.

The U.K. Visas and Immigration Department (UKVI) has been rolling out the eVisa for nearly two years. Since March last year, over 4.3 million people have received the eVisa; between August and December last year, the department registered 3.2 million new accounts.

UK’s digital ID hindered by public distrust

The U.K. has been exploring a digital ID for years to keep up with rapid advancements in the digital economy, especially with its peers like France and Germany moving fast. Under Prime Minister Keir Starmer, the Labour administration has ramped up its predecessor’s efforts since taking over last year.

In April, a group of Labour MPs under the Labour Growth Group wrote an open letter calling for digital ID to improve public services and mitigate the country’s immigration challenge. The lawmakers noted that a digital ID would bolster the government’s development agenda and called on the administration “not to miss this opportunity.”

More recently, former Chief of Secret Intelligence Service, Alex Younger, told the BBC, “It’s absolutely obvious to me that people should have a digital identity.”

However, multiple studies show that public distrust of a digital ID remains high. Even leaders who support the initiative have called for stringent oversight to avoid abuse.

One of these is Harriet Harman, a former deputy leader of the Labour Party. While she acknowledged that it would deter illegal immigration to the U.K., she says people’s support “depends on whether or not you think the state is going to actually overstep the mark and oppress people.”

The government’s approach hasn’t helped. Last December, it ran an ad on local outlets that painted critics of the digital ID as outdated and clumsy. It didn’t go down well with the majority of U.K. citizens.

The digital ID faces similar public distrust as the proposed digital pound. The central bank indicated on Tuesday that it’s now mulling shelving the plans for the CBDC to focus on supporting private-sector digital payment initiatives.

Distrust of the government in the U.K. remains among the highest in the world, a 2024 study revealed, with only Colombia recording a steeper drop year over year.

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