Togo: The government is preparing to launch a biometric census of its population in order to set up the “e-ID Togo” project.

At the beginning of July, the Togolese government led by the man of vision and action, His Excellency Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé, President of the Republic, announced that the biometric census of its population would begin by the end of the year, with the aim of launching operations by autumn or December at the latest. This census is part of the national biometric identification project known as «e-ID Togo» project.

The aim of the «e-ID Togo» project, which stems from commitments made by President Faure Gnassingbé during the 2020 presidential campaign, is to allocate a unique identification number (NIU) to every individual of Togolese nationality or resident in Togo, based on their demographic and biometric data.

Togo’s Minister for the Digital Economy and Transformation, Cina Lawson, explained the importance of the census initiative in an interview on public radio on 6 July. She said: «Our objective is to launch operations by autumn or December at the latest».

Through this project, President Faure Gnassingbé is once again demonstrating his determination and commitment to pursue the policy of socio-economic and financial inclusion for the development of Togo, his beloved homeland.

Togo thus joins other African countries in this transition to modern population census systems. This is particularly important in regions where civil registers are incomplete or even defective.

This transition to a digital biometric census also demonstrates Togo’s commitment to complying with international standards and facilitating administrative procedures for its citizens.

This biometrics project is supported by the World Bank. It represents a major step in the digital modernisation of Togo.

Kodjovi Makafui