Retour

From Nairobi to Kigali: Africa and IN Groupe are shaping the debate on digital identity

Only one in three countries worldwide have reached digital identity maturity. Several of those leaders are in Africa. That single data point, drawn from IN Groupe's analysis of identity systems across 210 countries, reframes an entire continent's story.

For IN Groupe, Africa is not a market on the horizon. It is one where the group has been active for years, working with governments in nearly one out of two countries, including Egypt, Morocco, Kenya, Gabon, Madagascar and Rwanda.

Digital identity is a core driver of economic growth and inclusion, and the foundation upon which Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) is built. Without it, payments cannot be attributed to verified individuals, data exchanges cannot be authorized, and government services cannot be securely accessed. With 800 million people worldwide still lacking a legal identity, a significant share of them in Africa, the stakes could not be higher.

It was against this backdrop that IN Groupe brought its expertise to three of Africa's most influential stages in a single week: the Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi (11-12 May), ID4Africa Annual General Meeting 2026 in Abidjan (12-15 May), and the Africa CEO Forum in Kigali (14-15 May).

Africa Forward Summit | Nairobi, 11-12 May

As part of the CEO coalition and French presidential delegation invited at the Africa Forward Summit alongside President Emmanuel Macron, IN Groupe's CEO & Chairwoman Agnès Diallo joined a high-level panel at the University of Nairobi: "Digitalisation as a Lever for Transforming Businesses and Governments."

The panel explored how digitalisation is reshaping both business models and public institutions across the continent, from market access and value chain efficiency to citizen service delivery.

Two perspectives anchored IN Groupe's contribution to the debate:

• The first: digital identity is the foundation underpinning financial inclusion, efficient public service delivery, fraud reduction and economic growth. It is not a component of Digital Public Infrastructure, it is its bedrock.
• The second: scaling a national digital identity infrastructure requires more than technology. To capture full economic and social value, mass adoption is critical. The real driver of transformation is ecosystem engagement and large-scale deployment across both public and private sectors, from banking and telecoms to healthcare and education.

Agnès Diallo had also the opportunity to sit on a panel to discuss AI and Digitalization with Mrs. Clara Chappaz, France’s Ambassador for Digital Affairs and AI.

This most inspiring trip offered our CEO an opportunity of meeting and discussing with many African leaders, in the country and from the region.

A highlight of the week was the visit of IN Groupe’s Nairobi office. Our Kenyan subsidiary is actively involved in producing the country’s national ID cards, delivering secure electronic identity features embedding chips and advanced protection layers, while managing the entire value chain on the ground, from enrolment to personalization. This integrated approach reflects our long-term engagement to support Kenya’s sovereign infrastructure and ensure every citizen’s access to a trusted and secure identity.

ID4Africa Annual General Meeting 2026 | Abidjan, 12-15 May

ID4Africa is the continent's flagship event on identity, and this year's edition in Abidjan brought together governments and identity experts from across Africa for four days of technical exchanges and strategic debate.

Olivier Charlanes, IN Groupe’s EVP Africa & Middle East, took the stage to present "Digital identity: infrastructure that changes everything” drawing on the group's latest white paper with a focused lens on Africa as a continent of contrasts and opportunities. Of the countries globally that have achieved full digital identity maturity or that are in advanced stages, several are African. Among them, Rwanda, Nigeria and Madagascar, three countries where IN Groupe is directly present and actively supports national identity programmes.

Beyond the stage, IN Groupe's teams introduced the Digital Identity Maturity Diagnoser, a tool built to help countries quickly understand their relative position in the maturity map and jump start their journey.

Africa CEO Forum | Kigali, 14-15 May

The Africa CEO Forum brought together the continent's most influential executives and investors in Rwanda's capital city, Kigali. Our CEO and Chairwoman Agnès Diallo joined the panel "Rise of the BOTs: Building Africa's Infrastructure in the Age of Tech Sovereignty," alongside representatives from OpenAI, Cassava Technologies, and the IFC.

The discussion centred on a critical transition: moving Africa from digital consumption to value creation. IN Groupe's position was clear: in the digital era, trust is built on identity. Without a sovereign, inclusive digital identity layer, there are no verified payments, no secure data exchanges, no reliable access to public or private services. Sovereignty must be designed in from the start, not retrofitted.

For an audience of executives and investors, the message was also an economic one: the infrastructure built today will determine who participates in tomorrow's economy, and the window to get it right is now.

A growing recognition of Africa's and IN Groupe's roles in shaping the global digital identity agenda

IN Groupe’ participation in these 3 flagship events across Africa confirms two things:one is that the continent is on the move, with inspiring innovative leaders that set the stage for others; second is that IN Groupe today is reframing the debate, supporting African countries in building sovereign, inclusive digital infrastructures that serve as genuine engines of economic growth.

Press Coverage

Jeune Afrique | Agnès Diallo (IN Groupe) : « Le système d’identité numérique est le socle de toute infrastructure publique numérique »

Biometric Update | https://www.biometricupdate.com/202605/digital-id-success-at-scale-hinges-on-tech-governance-adoption-in-groupe

RFI | Afrique Economie: Au Ghana, une carte d’identité «portefeuille» pour révolutionner les paiements

TV5 Monde