Identy Joins Africa’s Push for Digital Identity in Humanitarian Healthcare
•February 18, 2026
0
Companies Mentioned
Why It Matters
Secure, offline biometric IDs enable healthcare access for millions lacking official documents, strengthening public health outcomes and supporting Africa’s digital identity agenda.
Key Takeaways
- •Identy deploys offline facial biometrics in Mauritania
- •HumanCoop serves 2,500+ patients, 1,200 consultations per mission
- •Simprints targets 20 million users by 2030 across 17 countries
- •On‑device AI achieves >95% biometric match rates in low‑connectivity settings
- •Digital health wallets aim to replace paper certificates continent‑wide
Pulse Analysis
The rollout of Identy’s offline facial‑recognition system in Mauritania marks a pivotal step for humanitarian healthcare in regions where connectivity is scarce and privacy concerns are paramount. By processing biometric data directly on mobile devices, the solution sidesteps cloud dependencies, reduces latency, and safeguards patient information—critical factors for NGOs operating in the Sahara’s remote clinics. This model also demonstrates how private‑sector biometric firms can align with NGOs to fill identity gaps for displaced populations, a demographic that the UNHCR estimates exceeds 350,000 in North Africa alone.
Simprints’ expansion underscores the scalability of on‑device AI for child‑centric biometric enrollment. Leveraging low‑cost ARM‑based tablets, the platform captures facial, ear, and foot images, then runs edge‑AI algorithms that achieve match success rates above 95 percent even under poor lighting and limited bandwidth. The ability to synchronize data only when networks become available ensures continuity of care while maintaining data integrity. Simprints’ ambition to serve 20 million individuals by 2030 reflects a broader trend: biometric health IDs are evolving from pilot projects to core components of national digital health strategies.
Both initiatives feed into Africa’s emerging digital public infrastructure (DPI) ecosystem, where governments in Kenya, Nigeria, and beyond are investing in health wallets that consolidate medical records, vaccination histories, and treatment plans. By integrating certified biometric modules—such as Identy’s ABIS listed on the MOSIP marketplace—these solutions can interoperate with national identity registries, fostering a seamless patient journey across borders and providers. The convergence of offline biometrics, edge AI, and DPI promises to reduce exclusion, improve data‑driven health interventions, and unlock new financing models for NGOs transitioning from donor reliance to sustainable, government‑backed contracts.
Identy joins Africa’s push for digital identity in humanitarian healthcare
Across Africa and other regions with large undocumented populations, the lack of official identity papers is a major barrier to accessing medical treatment. NGOs and technology providers are collaborating to bridge this gap using offline, device‑native biometrics to create digital medical IDs that can follow patients across missions and borders. From Mauritania to Ghana, initiatives led by organizations such as HumanCoop, Identy and Simprints highlight how facial recognition, AI‑powered verification and mobile biometrics are being adapted to some of the most challenging environments in the world. As demonstrated in a recent DPI Africa blog post, many countries in Africa are at different levels of DPI implementation for healthcare, with many strongly pursuing the idea of moving from digital health certificates to health wallets where patient information can be better managed.
Identy’s biometrics to support undocumented healthcare access in Mauritania
A new humanitarian partnership is bringing face biometrics to one of the most remote corners of North Africa, aiming to improve healthcare access for thousands of undocumented patients. HumanCoop, a volunteer-led NGO providing medical missions in northern Mauritania, has teamed up with Identy. The partnership aims to tackle the lack of official documentation among displaced populations. According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), more than 350,000 people across North Africa and the Middle East remain without nationality or identity papers, making it impossible to create reliable medical records. HumanCoop will deploy Identy’s offline facial recognition tools to identify patients, even those without formal documents. The technology processes biometric data directly on mobile devices, avoiding reliance on internet connections or cloud storage — a crucial feature for operations in the Sahara Desert and for safeguarding patient privacy. The initiative will begin in Bir Mogrein, where HumanCoop’s missions serve a community of more than 2,500 people and handle up to 1,200 consultations per visit. A biometric database will be created during two upcoming missions, with plans to expand to other areas such as Zouerate, where the NGO conducts surgical procedures. Training for local staff and volunteers will accompany the rollout, alongside ongoing evaluations to measure improvements in patient identification and treatment follow-up. Identy has been eyeing Africa for strategic expansion, with the U.S.-based company believing its technology is well-suited to the continent’s development needs. Identity is looking at markets investing in digital public infrastructure (DPI), such as Kenya and Nigeria where it has offices. Identy’s automated biometric identification system (ABIS) is certified and listed in the MOSIP marketplace for deployment in national digital identity programs. HumanCoop, founded in 2020, has focused its work on the Tiris Zemmour region, offering both primary care and specialist services. Its president, Ignacio Calatayud, said the collaboration would make healthcare delivery “much more efficient” by ensuring treatments are tailored to each patient’s history. “We hope to contribute to growing trust in the healthcare system and offer better care, more follow-up, and ultimately, a more protected community,” he added. For Identy, which has previously partnered with NGOs tackling human trafficking and child protection, the project marks a new application of its technology in humanitarian healthcare. CEO Jesús Aragón described the collaboration as proof that biometrics can serve causes beyond fraud prevention. “Being able to collaborate with entities like HumanCoop gives meaning to our efforts to develop technological solutions that help disadvantaged communities,” he said.
Simprints aims to reach 20 million people by 2030
850 million people worldwide still don’t have any form of official ID, with almost half that figure being children whose births were not registered, making it more difficult to access healthcare. A feature in National Geographic reports on the work of Simprints in rural Ghana. The publication describes a nurse using a tablet to capture an image of a baby’s face, an image that will constitute its biometric digital ID. These medical IDs allow undocumented people to access healthcare. The tablets are powered by Arm CPUs and come loaded with SimprintsID. The solution was designed with children in mind as Simprints’ initial fingerprint-based biometrics wasn’t suitable for children’s still developing features. SimprintsID utilizes on-device AI, secure data synchronization and mobile devices so that health workers in the field can capture babies’ biometric data. For infants it is faces, ears and feet that are optimal biometric markers. Device-native software processes this data, sorting and selecting for the highest-quality image. Since the software is running on-device it is not reliant on internet connectivity. When network access does become available, the data is synchronized with central health information systems — giving the child a digital medical ID. Algorithms that run in the cloud then predict the child’s features as they develop, enabling a medical ID that evolves over time. Simprints is serving four million people in 17 countries and wants to expand to 20 million people by 2030. The nonprofit’s chief strategy officer, Alexandra Grigore, was recognized with the prestigious Impact Prize in 2025. The National Geographic article focusing on Arm and Simprints can be read here.
AI report highlights pros and cons of biometric verification success
Simprints is also a featured subject of GSMA’s “AI for Impact at Scale” report, which includes case studies from low- and middle-income countries. Simprints is analyzed for how AI has added value to the nonprofit’s operations and work. This includes AI machine learning models that improve match success rates by more than 95 percent, reducing duplicate or false records. Simprints also uses edge AI by processing face biometrics on low-cost smartphones used by frontline workers. The whole biometric processing process, which includes face detection and feature extraction and matching, takes place on the device locally without needing cloud connectivity. This is SimprintsID. It appears to be a clear win for the technology that’s referred to as AI. The AI-powered facial recognition technology for biometric verification enables biometric verification success rates of greater than 95 percent, which applies even in last-mile settings with poor connectivity, variable lighting and basic mobile devices. Interestingly, the report also highlights how this successful biometric verification can put the nonprofit in a bind at times. “Biometric verification, while strengthening accountability, can also expose inflated impact numbers in existing programmes, at times creating tensions with implementing partners and NGOs whose reporting incentives are affected,” it says. Simprints is exploring using synthetic data to train and test AI models to preserve privacy while continuing to research the challenges of child biometrics. The nonprofit is in transition as it looks to shift to government-backed contracts, rather than donor funding, and long-term revenue streams. The full GSMA report can be found here (p.67 for Simprints).
0
Comments
Want to join the conversation?
Loading comments...