Isac, a 13-year-old boy from Homoíne district in Inhambane province, southern Mozambique, dreams of becoming a nurse. Until recently, his aspirations were hindered by the lack of a legal identity document (ID), which prevented him from enrolling in school. Instead, he spent his days collecting and selling wood for food. “If I were to get an ID today, I would go back to school and achieve my dream of becoming a nurse and healing people,” he said.
Isac is one of millions of children in Mozambique without an ID. He lives with his grandmother, who has limited means. For them and nearly 13 million others in Mozambique, the cost of obtaining an ID had always been prohibitive, and registration centers were too distant.
The World Bank’s Identification for Development (ID4D) data highlights the extent of the identification gap in Mozambique: more than half the population lacks official proof of identity. This deficiency has significant consequences; without IDs, individuals cannot access education, obtain professional qualifications, own land, open bank accounts, find formal employment or register businesses.
In response to this issue, the World Bank is supporting the Government of Mozambique through a new campaign that provides free access to IDs.
Isac's circumstances changed when Nelly, a community member who supports Isac and his grandmother, took him to a temporary registration center set up as part of a pilot campaign by Mozambique’s Ministry of Justice’s National Directorate of Registries and Notary (DNRN) and the Ministry of Interior’s National Directorate of Civil Identification (DNIC). The center was established in Homoíne district in September 2023. Isac obtained legal identification within one day at no cost—a process that would have otherwise taken months and incurred significant expenses.
“My greatest hope is for Isaac to return to school, complete his education, secure a job and thrive,” said Nelly. These opportunities are now accessible to him.
The World Bank’s Digital Governance and Economy Project (EDGE) along with its ID4D Initiative supported DNIC in launching this free-ID pilot campaign across three Mozambican provinces. Due to overwhelming demand, DNIC initiated a nationwide free ID campaign on November 13, 2023—the first such effort in the country’s history. With support from EDGE, at least 140,000 IDs were distributed within months at no charge across Mozambique. DNIC is now scaling up efforts to provide free IDs nationwide.
“When I heard an ID brigade was happening nearby I came and requested mine," said Vania Magaissane from Maputo. "With an ID we can access basically any service such as enrolling our children in school. The process was easy and very flexible.” While her family has IDs she recognizes that many families still do not have resources to request one: “This is a good campaign; I hope it expands because there are many people without resources.”
Through initiatives like EDGE,the World Bank,andthe GovernmentofMozambiqueareworkingtobridgetheidentificationgap unlocking economic opportunitiesandaccess tos ervicesforindividualslikeIsacandVania contributingtobroadersocialandeconomicdevelopmentinthecountry.