In a major leap towards digital transformation, Uganda is preparing to roll out a national digital identification system inspired by India’s Aadhaar model. The initiative, based on India-developed open-source technology, will be accompanied by efforts to adopt the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) to reduce transaction costs and promote financial inclusion.
India’s MOSIP at the Core of Uganda’s Digital ID Rollout
The digital ID system will be powered by the Modular Open-Source Identity Platform (MOSIP), developed by the International Institute of Information Technology, Bengaluru (IIIT-B). MOSIP is designed to help countries build secure, scalable, and inclusive ID systems.
Rosemary Kisembo, CEO of Uganda’s National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA), confirmed that Uganda has fully customized MOSIP to suit domestic laws. In the coming weeks, the country will launch five key modules: new registration, renewal, correction of errors, replacement of lost IDs, and first-time ID issuance.
“The rollout represents a shift from a brownfield system to a modern, interoperable digital infrastructure,” Kisembo told ANI, adding that integration with birth and death registrations is expected within the next two to three months.
UPI Adoption on the Horizon
Following India’s digital playbook, Uganda is also exploring the integration of UPI to facilitate real-time, low-cost digital payments. “The immediate benefit of UPI will be a reduction in the cost of transactions. It creates a free wallet for every citizen, enabling seamless money movement,” said Kisembo.
UPI, developed by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), has transformed India’s payment ecosystem and is now being explored by multiple countries, including France, Singapore, and the UAE.
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India’s Digital Model Inspires African Nations
Kisembo praised India’s digital journey, highlighting Aadhaar’s achievement of scaling to over a billion people. “The leapfrog of India cannot be ignored,” she said, noting the valuable lessons it offers for countries like Uganda. However, she also pointed to the critical challenge of funding such initiatives. “Raising capital in Africa remains a challenge. We hope to interest not just technologists, but also capitalists willing to take a risk with Africa,” she added.
With its MOSIP-based ID system, Uganda joins a growing list of nations including Sri Lanka, Morocco, the Philippines, Guinea, Ethiopia, and Togo that have embraced India’s digital identity framework to promote governance and service delivery.
