Roundtable in association with:

eID and Border Control Agenda 

Today’s debates will be divided into morning and afternoon sessions. We will deal with business lessons and technological issues in the morning, while the afternoon session will focus on change management issues.

Background

With many African countries embarking on eID programmes, we will focus on the lessons being learnt during various implementations and the plans for how the new systems will be used and developed. Crucial debate will also focus on the best use of electronic identity and biometric technology as enablers in the process of modernising public sector services, automating and securing citizen services and tracking, validating and securing assets. 

This makes fraud management another key issue when considering effective eID systems, but attention needs to focus on the fact that technology itself will not stop fraud, but simply increase the chance of criminals being caught. With all transactions being authenticated and positive identities created, crime can be reduced.

There are also many other commercial applications evolving from the implementation of successful eID programmes and the use of the same technology and we need to focus on how these can best be leveraged. 

It is also important to consider the specific challenges facing African countries, perhaps the most pressing of which is enrolment and data capture. This needs to be comprehensive and secure. Thought, however, also needs to go into the many parts of Africa where the identity card, as such, is not strictly needed – or wanted – as well as the possible conflicts eID will bring in the face of regional integration in Africa when people need to move across borders in times of conflict or famine.

Of course, after the collection of personal data, that information has to be correctly managed and secured, particularly with the increasing use of web applications in all public and private arenas.

Then, of course, there is the technology itself to consider and the infrastructure capacity needed to ensure that it works, is interoperable with other systems and can deliver the services it needs to deliver. Biometric technology is central to many schemes and consideration needs to be taken for the most appropriate partnerships for its implementation.

Border control is central to our debates on eID and, with the need to meet ICAO guidelines fast approaching in 2010, there is a real need for many African countries to catch up, and catch up quickly, with their obligations to provide electronic passports and electronic border crossings. With many parts of Africa used as transfer areas, if compliance is not reached, then these areas will face harmful restrictions. There are many opportunities to do business here. India provides a good example.

Key questions to consider include:


Morning session

Business Lessons

• What does the future hold with eID being developed in African countries and what lessons can be learnt from government initiatives and progress made around the continent and elsewhere in the world? 

• What commercial applications and solutions can be driven by eID card implementations and what is the business motivation for adoption?

• Just what is possible with eID – what else can be achieved with its successful implementation?

• Are PPPs the best solution for ensuring the best outcomes and the most cost-effective implementation? Consultation and a clear vision are needed, but do governments embrace this?

Technology 

• What is eID? What is its use model and what is the functionality?

• What kind of applications should be on the cards?

• Should there be multi-functionality and an extended product offering?

• How can eGates be used in the region to speed up passenger processing, data capture and security?

• What does the future hold for ID, ePassports and border control, considering current R&D and emerging technology trends?

• What are the most effective strategies for interoperability?


Afternoon Session

Change Management

• How can the integration of national ID and ePassport programmes with electronic citizen records be best approached, examining the issues surrounding interdepartmental data sharing, privacy and security?

• How can authorities maximise the on-going integration of biometrics into eGate projects, using biometrics in second generation electronic identity documents?

• What is the cost of investment needed for implementing a national eID programme and can this always be justified?

• Partnerships should be created to work on issuance, security and storage. How can the optimum solutions be guaranteed?

• How can the need to build up the infrastructure and intelligence be best tackled in African countries?

• How should governments secure their eBorders using and managing electronic records of visitors, data management and other issues involved in data collection and enrolment?

• How can the region create a coordinated approach to preventing illegal immigration, terrorism and organised crime through the use of technology?

• What potential conflicts will eID bring in the face of regional integration in Africa when it is expected that people will have to move across borders from different countries, particularly in times of conflict and famine?