Why All-in-One Biometric Kits Are Essential for National ID Projects in Africa?

When it comes to national ID registration projects across Africa, empowering citizens with secure and inclusive identity systems is key to protecting their political rights and enabling access to public services.

Capturing biometric features, such as fingerprints, iris and facial photos, along with biographical data, is essential to verify each citizen’s unique identity and ensure the fairness and accuracy of ID programs. To meet these requirements in diverse field conditions, all-in-one biometric enrollment kits have become a practical and powerful solution.

These kits usually integrate the core biometric tools: fingerprint scanners, photo cameras, and iris scanners, alongside document scanners capturing biographic data. But beyond the basics, several design components make these kits particularly suited for African government ID projects.

1. The Case Really Matters.

Roughly one-third of Africa’s population lives in rural or remote areas, which means field officers often travel long distances to reach citizens. Without a proper container, carrying loose devices becomes risky, they may be damaged or lost in transit.

An all-in-one biometric kit includes a rugged carry case that organizes and secures all components. It simplifies transportation, speeds up setup, and protects devices in the field. Thanks to this smart packaging, field staff can set up the kit in under 2 minutes, power it on, and begin registration immediately. If devices were scattered or unmanaged, it would waste time, extend staff working hours, and risk delaying the overall project timeline.

With EKEMP’s IP67-certified rugged carry case is not only organize all components, but also is dustproof, waterproof and anti-fall, ensuring safe operation even in harsh environments.

2. Power Makes a Difference

Power is the foundation of processing the entire kit. Without the power, the whole kits couldn’t work. However, in many parts of Africa, electricity access is limited, especially in rural zones where ID registration is often most needed. Considering for this situation, most biometric enrollment kits include a battery, but this alone may not be enough for long working hours in the field.

Source: https://www.afrobarometer.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AD793-PAP13-Slight-and-uneven-progress-still-leaves-many-Africans-without-electricity-Afrobarometer-9april24-1.pdf 

To solve this, EKEMP designed a dual-battery system to support long-term working, specifically for remote ID enrollment. Without charging frequently, it will make the registration process faster and safer.

Even better, because Africa experiences strong solar radiation and long sunshine hours. EKEMP offers solar panel accessories that convert sunlight into electricity, ensuring field operations don’t stop due to power outages. Double-guaranteed registration has the power at all times to help the program run smoothly.

3. Photo Backdrops Meet ICAO Standard

For large-scale ID registration projects, speed and accuracy are critical at every step, especially when capturing ICAO standard photos. A clean background is essential to ensure that facial images suit international standards and can be processed without delays. Typically, enrollment kits are used indoors, where registrants sit on a chair against a neutral-colored wall. But when kits are deployed outdoors, capturing clean images becomes a challenge due to cluttered backgrounds.

To solve this issue, EKEMP includes a professional photo backdrop as part of the all-in-one biometric enrollment kit. The backdrop ensures a neutral background regardless of the environment, making it easier to capture high-quality, standardized facial images even in rural.

This is especially important when photographing dark-skinned individuals, as contrast between subject and background improves facial recognition accuracy and speeds up background removal during processing. With this setup, enrollment staff can take the best photo in less time, boosting both efficiency and image quality across the project.

While biometric capture is the core, governments often need more than just those that we mentioned above. Depending on the project scope, kits may also include:

• Receipt printers

• ID card printers

• Barcode scanners

• Signature pads

• GPS modules

• Other accessories

If you want customized biometric enrollment kits, we are here to help.

EKEMP and ID Related work together to offer fully customizable, all-in-one biometric kits, adapting to each project’s unique budget and technical requirements. We provide flexible options for different scales.

You can explore a custom solution today at www.idrelated.com