NATASCHA TRIVISAS: Identity security can help Africa capitalise on growth opportunities

Much has been said and written about Africa’s vast but largely unrealised potential as an economic superpower, as well as what can be done to unleash that potential.

On the upside, the continent has a growing workforce. The World Bank asserts that by 2075, one-third of the world's population – and of its working-age population will be African. It’s the only region globally where the workforce will grow continually in the coming decades.

This presents an unprecedented opportunity for economic growth and prosperity through investments in education, skills, and health. A few factors seem to count in favour of the continent and its government and people being able to capitalise on this opportunity.

One example is the growing evidence of the efficacy of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). With 47 states as signatories, it’s the world’s biggest free-trade area by number of member states, after the World Trade Organization, and the biggest in population and geographic size, spanning 1.3 billion people across the world's second-largest continent.

But it’s taken time to progress towards its goals of a single, liberalised trade market, lowering barriers to capital and labour to facilitate investment, developing regional infrastructure, and establishing a continental customs union.

Until last month, when the African Union (AU) announced that the AfCTFA was essentially fully operational and – should its proponents be proven correct – geared to achieve its overall aims of improved socioeconomic development, reduced poverty, and making Africa more competitive in the global economy.

That’s a promising step forward for a continent with dazzling potential and enviable natural resources.

Another development that might help that potential manifest is the liberalisation of its commercial airspace.

Home to 12% of the world's population, Africa has until now accounted for just 2% of the world’s air traffic. This was partly due to African governments restricting their air services markets to protect state-owned carriers.

This has meant that air travellers and cargo in Africa must fly to neighbouring countries via hubs in Europe or the Middle East, vastly increasing costs and time spent in the air.

African leaders recognised this problem as far back as 1999 when 44 states signed the Yamoussoukro Agreement, now the Yamoussoukro Decision, that would liberalise air markets and bring into effect the Single African Air Trade Market (SAATM).

There’s little doubt of the benefits. An International Air Transport Association (IATA) survey suggests that if just 12 key African countries opened their markets and increased connectivity, an extra 155,000 jobs and US$1.3 billion in annual GDP would be created in those countries.

To date, 34 countries have signed up to the SAATM. These countries represent over 80% of the existing aviation market in Africa.

To many, it feels like Africa is poised at the brink of something truly great. But with that potential comes the need for greater efficiency and security in the movement of people and goods, and a crucial component of that is identity security.

The importance of identity security to the continent is evident. More than 2,000 delegates from 90 countries, including representatives from more than 50 African states, are set to attend the upcoming three-day ID4 Africa conference in Cape Town at the end of May.

Practical examples of this could include, for example, digital travel credentials or mobile passports that help enable seamless travel experiences. For governments and their agencies, this can enable more efficient enforcement of homeland security.

Legal identity provides a level of trust to fulfill business interactions that otherwise could not run smoothly, which if you follow the idea even further are a basis for economic development.

Inclusive identity schemes and identity protection built on respect for privacy and human rights are pivotal for driving socioeconomic development and facilitating the digital transformation of society and government.

At a time when Africa is poised for a shift in growth and development, it’s essential that the continent, its people, and their representatives are heard in a crucial discourse on protecting the identity of individuals.