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Another digital technology seeing steady growth in Africa is the ePassport. In 2008, Nigeria, South Africa and Senegal were joined by Côte d’Ivoire in adopting this technology. The West African nation has more than one million ordinary passports in use, and planned to update them all by the end of 2009, as well as incorporating the electronic capability in all new travel documents.
In Nigeria, the ePassport has been hailed as helping to curb fraud involving travel documents, while the South African Department of Home Affairs began rolling out security-enhanced passports to new applicants in 2008. The new passport has an embedded RFID chip that stores biometric information, including personal details, a high-resolution color photograph and fingerprints.
The common feature of all such documents is that they not only increase security by serving as a trustworthy means of identifying individuals, but also help to protect the holder from the threat of identity theft. What’s more, when an ePassport also has the functionality of an eID card, it can help the user to save time and money by enabling them to complete all manner of transactions and interactions online.
A related application is the eHealth card, such as the one currently being introduced in the West African state of Gabon. The project, launched in December 2008, is the centerpiece of the government’s plan to spread healthcare to the whole population and modernize Gabon’s health insurance system. The cards will be used in hospitals, pharmacies and health clinics to provide access to care, while ensuring that patients’ data remains confidential.
Across Africa, technology is transforming people’s lives in ways that would have
seemed inconceivable just a few years ago – and the adventure is set to continue
for the foreseeable future.
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Gemalto has clinched an exclusive five-year contract to deliver digital
security technology for Ivorian ePassports. 
Gabon leads the way to eHealth in Africa.