There are several barriers that can undermine implementing various development initiatives for digitization on the continent. This includes but not limited to:
physical barriers (broadband development, lack of services/infrastructure in rural and camp areas);
economic barriers (registration fees and cost to travel to towns to register);
lack of awareness of the importance of civil registration and procedures for birth registration;
legal issues (absence of laws that allow civil registration for non-nationals including refugees and stateless) and administrative barriers.
Both digital ID and the digital economy thrive on trust. Data privacy breaches, cyber-attacks and cyber-fraud around the world are on the rise, impacting on productivity, revenue and client trust in the digital economy. While digital ID is designed to mitigate low levels of trust in the digital economy (and e-commerce in particular), a high level of trust is equally required for digital ID systems to succeed; i.e. trust in the ID issuing authority, in the design of the ID and in the technology. It is important therefore that African countries have adequate regulation; particularly around data governance and digital platforms, to ensure that trust is preserved in the digitalization.