The Gambia has officially adopted the digital identity infrastructure utilized in Ghana following a partnership between the government and IMS Gambia Ltd, an implementation partner within the Margins ID Group ecosystem. Ousman Bah, Special Adviser to the President of The Gambia on ICT and Digital Economy, visited Ghana in December 2022 to observe these systems. "When I came to Ghana in December 2022, I met Margins and looked at what Margins was doing," Bah stated. "So today, I can proudly sit here and say the same technology Ghana has implemented is the same technology Gambia has adopted." Moses Kwesi Baiden Jnr, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Margins ID Group, noted, "Digital identity is not a card. It is infrastructure." The African Development Bank projects Africa's trade finance gap may exceed US$100 billion by 2027.
Inspiration From Ghana's Success
Ghana’s national identity ecosystem now encompasses more than 20 million people. This infrastructure serves as a foundation for administrative and financial services across the country. Data from the National Identification Authority indicates that 262 institutions currently utilize the system to verify identity credentials. By integrating such a large population into a centralized digital framework, Ghana has created a model for secure authentication. The Gambia seeks to replicate this scale as it implements its own digital identity infrastructure through the partnership with Margins ID Group. Officials anticipate that organizing identity data on this magnitude will improve service delivery and facilitate broader access to economic opportunities for citizens. These operational benchmarks served as the primary reference point for The Gambia during the adoption process.
Addressing Africa's Trade Gap
The African Development Bank’s 2025 Trade Finance Report identifies a substantial barrier to regional economic expansion. According to the publication, the unmet demand for trade finance across the continent stood between US$74 billion and US$92 billion in 2024. This figure represents the shortfall faced by businesses seeking to engage in commercial activities that require institutional financial backing.
Margins ID Group continues to pursue expansion of its identity infrastructure projects beyond the partnership in The Gambia. The firm is currently involved in engagements relating to the Democratic Republic of the Congo regarding the implementation of similar identity infrastructure. These discussions represent the latest efforts by the company to establish its technological framework within new national markets.
