Gambiaj.com – (BANJUL, The Gambia) – Margins ID Group, a Ghanaian technology firm, has secured an international contract to design, build, finance, operate, and transfer a National Identification System and an Integrated Digital ID platform for the Government of The Gambia.
In a statement announcing the deal, Margins ID Group described it as “a new chapter where African technology is designed, trusted, and deployed across Africa.”
Reported Competitive International Tender
The contract followed what Gambian authorities call “a highly competitive international tender process” that began on July 22, 2024, and attracted 11 global companies.
After a rigorous technical and financial evaluation, three firms were shortlisted, with Margins ID Group emerging as the preferred bidder based on the strength of its technical design, competitive pricing, and proven implementation capacity.
As part of the vetting process, Gambian government delegations visited Intelligent Card Production Systems (ICPS), Margins’ high-security card manufacturing facility in Accra, and inspected its technology subsidiary, Margins ID Systems Applications Limited, to verify the firm’s capacity to handle sensitive national data and secure card production.
Replicating the Ghana Card Model
The Gambian project will adapt the ecosystem underpinning Ghana’s national identity program, widely known as the “Ghana Card,” which has become a continental reference point for digital integration.
The system links multiple services, including health insurance, tax identification, and banking, into a single biometric identity platform.
According to Margins ID Group, 22 sub-systems that make up the Ghana Card infrastructure will be tailored to meet The Gambia’s specific needs, forming the backbone of the country’s new National ID and Integrated Digital ID systems.
Mr. Moses Kwesi Baiden Jnr., Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Margins ID Group, described the agreement as a significant achievement for African digital identity innovation and a validation of the company’s decades-long investment in secure identification technologies.
Margins has been in the identity solutions business for 35 years.
Strategic and Data Sovereignty Implications
Beyond its technical scope, the deal carries broader strategic implications. For decades, many African governments relied on European or Asian multinationals to manage sensitive national identity databases, including biometric registries central to national security and public administration.
The agreement is structured as a “design, build, finance, co-operate, and transfer” model, under which Margins ID Group will implement and operate the system before transferring it to the Gambian state.
Observers say the project positions The Gambia among a growing number of African countries seeking to modernize public administration through secure digital identity systems while also reinforcing confidence in homegrown African technology solutions.
