Margins ID’s superior technology wins Gambia over — Ousman Bah

Special Adviser to the President of The Gambia on ICT and Digital Economy, Ousman Bah, has lauded Margins ID Group for their development of digital identity interoperability. He cited Ghana's system as a model for African-led digitalization, specifically praising the country's ability to connect identity systems and consolidate data.

Bah's visit to Ghana in December 2022 allowed him to observe these advancements firsthand. He noted that Ghana's focus on interoperability, particularly in its driver's licensing system, impressed him. At the 11th MOBEX Africa Conference 2026 in Accra, Bah explained that the same technology Ghana implemented is now being adopted in The Gambia through a partnership with Margins ID Group.

The Gambian National Identity Management System is being rolled out via a collaboration between the government and IMS Gambia Ltd, a partner within the Margins ID Group system. Mr. Bah's endorsement underscores the potential for African nations to adopt locally developed technology to meet their own digitalization needs. Margins ID Group's CEO, Moses Kwesi Baiden Jnr, emphasized that digital identity is not just a card, but essential infrastructure that can bolster trust in financial services, business transactions, and cross-border trade.

He stressed that the value of digital identity lies in its ability to facilitate secure verification, support customer due diligence, and enable regulatory compliance. The African Development Bank's 2025 Trade Finance Report estimates that unmet demand for trade finance in Africa reaches between US$74 billion and US$92 billion in 2024, potentially surpassing US$100 billion by 2027.

Baiden argued that reliable identity verification systems can help alleviate some barriers to financial and commercial transactions, supporting mobile money and digital lending services. Ghana's national identity ecosystem, developed through Margins ID Group's partnership with the National Identification Authority, has registered over 20 million people and 262 institutions.

The Ghana Card Personal Identification Number (PIN), linked to biometric and demographic data, acts as a persistent identifier across the ecosystem. Margins ID Group's work in The Gambia exemplifies how Ghana's identity technology is being utilized beyond its borders, with the company also involved in projects in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.