The China National Electronics Import & Export Corporation has been hired to provide the technology solution for management of civil and criminal identification in Angola, as well as the issue of registration of birth and identity cards, under a presidential order.

The contract, which will cost Angola US$243 million, will be signed by the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, arises from the need to “implement the Integrated Management Platform of Civil and Criminal Identification” and requires the Chinese company to “supply goods, facilities and technical support.”

The presidential order also authorises the Ministry of Finance to cover the framework of this contract with a commercial credit line due to be negotiated with a financial institution in China.

The government said in August 2016 there were 96 registration offices in Angola to issue identity cards, 36 of which are in Luanda, 24 fixed and 12 mobile, but according to Portuguese news agency Lusa, thousands of Angolans have never had any identification, which explains the fact that the electoral registration underway includes a solution for those who do not have identity cards.

A recent report by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) showed that only 31% of children under five in Angola have a birth certificate, which is due “largely to the shortcomings of the registration services and standards and social practices that limit the demand for registration.” (macauhub)