en.Wedoany.com Reported - Benin has initiated the development of a national digital public infrastructure roadmap, aiming to provide citizens with more efficient digital services by integrating digital identity, digital payment, and data exchange systems. The Agency for Information Systems and Digital (ASIN) organized a launch workshop on Thursday, July 16, in Cotonou, bringing together representatives from microfinance, insurance, banking, GSM operators, civil society, and international partners to discuss the construction of this governance framework.

One of the core principles of this roadmap is the "Once Only" principle: citizens need to provide information to the state only once, after which various administrative departments share this information internally without requiring repeated submissions. Marc-André Loko, Director General of ASIN, pointed out that it is unreasonable for the state to ask citizens to provide documents again after issuing them, and relevant agencies are actively working to end this practice. This approach aligns with President Romuald Wadagni's vision of leveraging digital technology to simplify people's lives, particularly by building a financial inclusion platform for youth and women.

According to the "Africa's Digital Policy Review" report released by research institution DigitA, 2026 will be a turning point for digital public infrastructure (DPI) in Africa, as governments shift from the planning phase to the actual implementation of digital identity, payment, and data exchange systems. Currently, over 32 countries on the continent are accelerating their DPI implementation under the international initiative "50-in-5." The World Bank's global DPI projects have shown specific progress in other African countries: in Ethiopia, over 36.6 million residents have registered in the Fayda ID system; in Nigeria, more than 100 million national identity numbers have been issued.