The Prime Minister’s Office of Mauritius has awarded a 10-year contract to a consortium led by the Paris-based global technology conglomerate Thales Group to develop a national identity system for the African island nation.
The consortium, which includes Port Louis-headquartered company Harel Mallac Technologies, will provide end-to-end support to the project, from citizen registration to issuance of physical and digital IDs. Thales eID cards feature embedded software and security features, such as Thales Colour Laser Shield technology, designed to prevent counterfeiting and identity theft.
Youzec Kurp, Thales vice president for identity and biometrics solutions, said the Mauritian ID system “fully leverages the best of both worlds,” combining ID cards and digital identity. “This positions Mauritius among the pioneer countries in identity solutions worldwide,” he added.
According to Thales, the identity program enhances citizen services and boosts national security, establishing Mauritius with a fully interoperable digital ID wallet compliant with international ISO quality management standards.
A BiometricUpdate.com report indicated that Thales is also one of the companies eyeing the estimated $428 million contract for the biometric ID card project of Congo, Africa’s fourth most populous nation.
