NIDA’s Milestones in Tanzania’s Sixth-Phase Govt

NIDA's Landmark Achievements Under Tanzania's Sixth-Phase Government

Friday, March 21, 2025

As Tanzania's Sixth-Phase Government under President Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan marks its fourth year in office, significant advancements by the National Identification Authority (NIDA) stand out among the administration's key successes.

NIDA, the agency responsible for nationwide personal identification and registration, has substantially expanded its services across Mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar through district-level registration offices. This initiative has enabled millions of eligible Tanzanians to be registered and officially recognized.

Between March 2021 and February 2025, 3,581,830 new individuals were registered, bringing the total number of registered Tanzanians to 25,634,890. This represents 81.4% of the 31,477,938 citizens aged 18 and above, according to the 2022 Population and Housing Census.

Enhanced National ID Issuance

In its four-year period, NIDA has produced 2,656,801 National Identification Numbers (NINs) as of February 2025. This brings the cumulative number of issued NINs to 21,426,716, which is 83.6% of all registered individuals.

To resolve long-standing delays in ID card issuance, NIDA launched a mass production and distribution campaign in October 2023. According to NIDA Spokesperson Geoffrey Tengeneza, this was made possible through direct financial intervention by President Samia's administration. The government allocated TSh 17.57 billion to clear debts owed to the raw card supplier and an additional TSh 42.5 billion to procure 13,735,728 blank cards.

As a result, by March 2024, every registered citizen with a NIN had their ID card produced. In total, 14,987,162 IDs were manufactured during this period, raising the overall number of produced IDs to 21,270,895.

Additionally, 13,423,497 IDs were distributed to citizens over the past four years, culminating in a total of 21,146,582 cards issued since registration efforts began in 2012.

Diaspora Outreach and Integration

NIDA has extended its services to Tanzanians living abroad, issuing National IDs and NINs to 500 diaspora members. Moreover, the ID system has been integrated into border management to enhance identity verification for individuals entering or exiting the country.

Digital Infrastructure Expansion

The authority has connected 153 district offices to its central data processing hub, a leap from 22 offices previously linked. This network allows real-time transfer of applications for swift processing and card issuance.

To ease the registration process, NIDA launched an online pre-registration platform, allowing individuals to input personal data remotely and reduce waiting times at district offices.

Financial and Institutional Impact

From March 2021 to February 2025, NIDA generated TSh 126.38 billion in revenue, which was deposited into the Government Consolidated Fund. In recognition, President Samia awarded NIDA third place among top-performing non-commercial government institutions in 2023.

The national identification system now supports over 124 integrated institutions (59 public and 65 private), streamlining services across healthcare, education, agriculture, taxation, social security, elections, and land administration. These integrations have significantly improved public service delivery, fraud prevention, and policy implementation.

Key Sectors Benefiting from NIDA's Registry

• Human Resources Management: Integrated with the Public Service Recruitment Secretariat to verify employment eligibility and eliminate ghost workers.
• Inclusive Financial Services: Enables citizens, especially youth and women, to access banking and microfinance services using their National ID as legal identification.
• Taxation: Assists the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) in issuing and managing Taxpayer Identification Numbers (TINs), improving tax compliance and reducing evasion.
• Healthcare: Linked with NHIF, the National ID now serves as a health insurance card, cutting production costs and improving service accuracy—especially for higher education students.
• Education: Integrated with universities and the Higher Education Students’ Loans Board (HESLB) to streamline admissions and loan processing.
• Social Development: Facilitates TASAF’s efforts to identify and verify over 376,933 beneficiaries for electronic disbursement of social support, targeting primarily women.
• Social Security: Enhances accuracy in identifying contributors and beneficiaries of PSSSF and NSSF, reducing fraudulent claims.
• Business and Investment: Linked with BRELA, DSE, BPRA, and TIC to authenticate applicant data for business registrations and licensing.

Future Strategic Plans

Director General James Kaji emphasized that the remarkable progress achieved by NIDA is a direct result of President Samia’s vision and leadership. These advancements are instrumental in boosting economic inclusion, security, and government revenue collection.

Upcoming Initiatives:

1. "Jamii Namba" Registration for Children
   NIDA is preparing to begin identity registration at birth, aligning with the President’s directive. This includes legal reforms, development of digital systems, and equipment procurement. The goal is to register an estimated 30,263,182 children, linking their data with that of parents or guardians.

2. SMS Notifications for ID Collection
   To reduce logistical inefficiencies, NIDA has centralized ID card storage at district offices and utilizes mobile SMS alerts to notify citizens once their ID is ready—sent to their current mobile numbers regardless of the number used during registration.

3. Tracking ID Application Progress
   A new digital system will allow applicants to monitor their registration status. Once registered, individuals will receive their NIN via SMS within seven days (if no issues arise) and their physical ID card within 14 days.

4. Multi-Purpose ID Functionality
   Plans are underway to enrich the National ID to include data for additional services—such as health insurance, driver’s license, birth certificate, blood group, and TIN—creating a unified identification tool for various administrative functions.