A new national identity card for Cameroon and much more than just a new ID

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Increased security is a matter of necessity.

Launched in 2016, Cameroon's new national identity card and the complete overhaul of its system of identification and card manufacture for new documents illustrate the will of the country's authorities to strengthen security on its territory, particularly by combating identity theft and document fraud.​ 

The national identity card is produced alongside documents such as resident permits, refugee cards, professional ID cards for General Delegation for National Security personnel, and retirement cards for public servants who have worked in national security, with possibilities for an extension to other public or private government bodies.​

So let's take a closer look.

The choice of technological innovation and independence

With Thales, Cameroon's General Delegation for National Security opted for an innovative technical solution that puts Cameroon at the forefront of African nations regarding secure identity documents. 

The electronic and biometric identity documents, in credit card format, are designed to combat fraud and have multiple, both visible and invisible, security features incorporated into them. 

For the first time, they incorporate the holder's laser-engraved color portrait in high definition, not on the surface but inside the very body of the card itself.

This innovative approach is world-first. It offers the citizens of Cameroon the benefit of having an identity card that cannot be questioned.

Robust enough to resist intensive usage and extreme climates, polycarbonate is the most reliable and secure material for IDs. Thanks to the Gemalto Color Laser Shield card solution, it is now available with a color photo. 

Polycarbonate identity documents are more resistant to humidity, heat, and aging. This plastic, with unique marking and durability properties, makes achieving much higher reliability and security rates possible than materials used in the past. In our March 2017 dossier, we further develop why polycarbonate is becoming popular.

They are fitted with a microprocessor that combines the document's physical security with electronic security. This feature opens up new possibilities in electronic identification for multiple new forms of use. 

In particular, they will allow holders to have secure access to electronic services such as e-government via Internet portals, thanks to strong electronic authentication through a digital certificate issued by the card issuing authority.

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The graphic theme on the reverse of the new cards represents a landscape near the village of Rhumsiki in the Far North Province of Cameroon. Abstract geometric figures and patterns have been reproduced across this side of the card, drawing upon traditional Cameroonian fabrics for inspiration. 

Holders of these cards will also be able to sign documents with a digital certificate electronically. 

Finally, the new identity cards are biometric and have ten fingerprints built into them. Biometrics has been chosen because it has rapidly established itself as the most suitable technology for reliably confirming the holder's identity and, thus, for effectively combating identity theft. 

Cameroon is at the same time also modernizing its solution for the enrolment of citizens opting for Thales' Enrolment platform and its card personalization with its secure issuance software, which implements color laser engraving technology.​ 

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The authorities have also opted for mobile verification terminals from Thales. 

Thanks to Thales's comprehensive training, maintenance, and knowledge transfer program, the DGSN will operate the fully integrated system independently. The DGSN will thus be able to handle citizen enrollment and the issuance of personalized cards, then verify the cards using the terminals supplied.​

Thorough organization and crucial synergies 

In addition to the synergies between those involved and the thoroughness of the organization, Thales' expertise, combined with that of the Cameroonian authorities and their joint will to succeed, is crucial for the project's success. 

They illustrated how a contracting public authority and an industrial contractor could work together in close collaboration based on a mutual trust relationship to define a national project on a large scale and thus modernize the country.

The move towards a deeply transformed system, with digital identity 

Cameroon and Thales are convinced that securing citizens' national identity and protecting their privacy cannot be reduced to a simple system upgrade, nor can it be limited to just supplying a new generation of identity documents. At the same time, it is necessary to give oneself the means to adapt to the changing security, social, economic, and technical environment.

 

Think about it.

 

The system has to be deeply transformed at all levels: technical requirements, reliability, security, long-term durability, project management, or governance.

The scope of action, previously limited to the production of identity documents, is thus extended to a complete IT overhaul of the identification system. The main objective is to increase the security and protection level.

 

To enable Cameroon to meet its objectives, Thales offers a structured tool running within a trusted digital environment with high security, interoperability, and data protection: that tool is digital identity. ​

Choosing the path of modernization to boost the economy

With the growth in electronic transactions and exchanges, digital identity offers citizens the modern means of identification they need to have secure and straightforward access to online services while ensuring their privacy is respected. 

These guarantees can only help boost activity in the public sector, thanks to the services it can provide (eGovernment), and increase competitiveness in the private sector. 

In addition to greater security and better protection of identity, Cameroon's stronger identity scheme opens the door to a digital economy of trust, which it can rely on. It thus contributes to the economic and social development of the country, and its competitiveness, giving it greater national and international reach. 

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Reinforcing trust

Why is Cameroon so clearly determined to bring its civil identity data and documents into a secure information scheme, particularly in combating document fraud and identity theft?

It's because it is fully aware of the importance of identifying persons as the foundation of a society that recognizes the rightful value of its citizens. 

 

Choosing the path of modernization, making the undertaking to protect the people of Cameroon, their rights and identity, and recognizing their fair value, are all means for the State to consolidate the relationship of trust that has become essential to lay the foundations for Cameroonian citizenship of the future.

 

 

What is an electronic ID card, and what is digital identity? 

An electronic ID (eID) card fulfills various roles: it acts as a traditional means of identification, a travel document, and a passkey to each citizen's data. 

The public has become accustomed to smart cards through their use in the banking system, so their reliability is no longer questioned. 

eID cards are now also being used as a means of accessing an array of services that were previously difficult to synchronize. 

The electronic card and its related digital identity can be used for identification, authentication, and electronic signature. Thus, a national ID scheme simplifies several previously complex information paths. 

It can be used as: 

• A representation of sovereign authority, certifying that the holder is in a legitimate legal position concerning their national jurisdiction.
• A means for citizens to access services and exercise their rights and duties concerning the public authorities. 
• A genuine seal of authenticity that the citizen can use to authenticate their actions regardless of the exchange formats and media used since the data used to ensure security and trust also guarantees the legal validity of any transactions certified in this way. 

Making citizens a central part of the creation of a modernized state— giving them an active role rather than a peripheral role as a passive user of public services— public services are simultaneous, de facto, repositioning themselves. Identity comprises a private set of data, of which the State is the custodian. 

The conception of the State-Citizen relationship has been profoundly modified. We are entering a new era where this relationship can be expressed as a "contract" of rights and obligations. 

Citizens register for services and fulfill their obligations, and in return, they benefit from the rights and guarantees offered by the community's social model. This relationship is the very basis of the "Social Contract." 

 

There is more. 

 

The e-ID card is also a passkey to a system in which everyone has their place and can, therefore, contribute and have their say (through elections and referendums, for example): e-Democracy. 

At a time when security has become a priority, particularly in international transactions, e-ID seems essential. It is a guarantee given by one State to another within a network of trusted and interoperable national systems. 

As evidenced by The World Bank's Identification for Development report of January 2016, digital technologies, including biometrics, provide a unique opportunity to build a robust and efficient identification system for all benefits when backed by a strong political will. 

 

What's next? 

How can we help you get the most out of your identity project? 

At Thales, we promote the emergence of a free and more sustainable society by making it more secure. 

We have built a structured approach and contribution mode to government programs, sharing international experience and industrial know-how and working as partners with public authorities in numerous countries. 

This approach addresses three main areas: 

• Securing the identity of citizens
• Protecting their privacy, personal data, and digital rights
• Promoting an optimal trust framework for digital exchanges to create a reliable deployment of online services.

​In the same spirit, we collaborate with our customers to analyze and promote best practices in these areas across the planet. 

If you want to reap digital dividends with digital identity and eGovernment services, discover our web dossier.​ 

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