ID4Africa Commemorates ID Day (16.9)

The Identity Day (ID Day) Campaign seeks worldwide recognition of 16 September as Identity Day to highlight the importance of having proof of identity. It is intended to address the lack of a dedicated day of commemoration for identity which is a fundamental right and practical necessity in today’s digital age.

The chosen date, 16 September (16.9), symbolically references UN Sustainable Development Goal 16.9, which aims to provide legal identity, including birth registration, to all individuals by 2030.

2023 is the 5th anniversary of the launch of the campaign by ID4Africa at its 4th Annual Meeting of the movement in Abuja, Nigeria and this year, 16 September fell on a Saturday. ID4Africa took the opportunity to commemorate the day with a series of official events including: 

• Angola: ID-issuance campaign targeting children and a Civil Identification and Vital Statistics Seminar.

• Burundi: Awareness workshop on the importance of the biometric ID cards and the civil registration system.

• Ethiopia: Issuance of press releases in partnership with the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education and the Federal Civil Service Commission.

• Kenya: Mobile registration for birth certificates, identity cards and passports.

• Nigeria: Students’ poetry and artwork competition on the theme ‘What identity means to me.’

• Somalia: Launch of the National ID.

• Tanzania: ID card distribution.

ID4Africa has also recorded a short commemorative message from its Executive Chairman Dr Atick and a short animation on why ID Day matters, which can both be found at www.youtube.com/@ID4AFRICAMEDIA/videos.