ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, May 23 – Data Commissioner Immaculate Kassait, MBS, addressed participants at the ID4Africa Forum, speaking under the theme “Digital Identity at Scale: Prioritizing Use, Accelerating Impact.” The forum brought together global and regional leaders to explore the future of digital identification systems in Africa.

She addressed several key issues, including the need for interoperability of secure and trusted ID systems, which will enhance security, convenience, inclusivity, efficiency, and digital trust.

She further called for the efficient use of digital IDs in emergencies without risking data misuse by adopting data protection principles such as data minimization, purpose limitation, and reliance on appropriate lawful bases during processing.

Additionally, she attended a roundtable of African Data Protection Authorities on Identity Systems, hosted by the World Privacy Forum on the sidelines of the ID4Africa conference.

She joined key DPIA actors, including Identity Authorities and Data Protection Authorities, where she had the opportunity to share ODPC challenges, successes, and benchmark with other DPAs on best practices.

During the session, participants exchanged case studies and insights to flag key risk areas in identity systems, such as data misuse, lack of consent mechanisms, and weak interoperability safeguards. The session also featured a forward-looking discussion on policy changes and innovative solutions tailored to the unique data governance contexts of participating countries.

Her contribution reinforced Kenya’s position as a regional leader in responsible digital transformation, and ODPC’s commitment to protecting rights in the evolving digital identity space.