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Blockchain Could Provide ID for Those Who Need It Most
Students in developing countries and refugees fleeing violence need reliable proof of their identity — and the blockchain might just work
Akile Wua Justice chuckles with pride as he talks about graduating from his three-year degree at Uganda’s Cavendish University last year. Competition for graduate work is intense, but qualified engineers can face an unexpected problem — battling bureaucracy, fees, and fraud to prove they really are qualified.
The telecommunications and engineering graduate says that students are given one official certificate and one paper copy, and then have to have these certificates validated with signatures and stamps from various officials. The process can cost as much as $300 and take six months. “When you graduate you’re given a certificate, but if there is any mistake on it, or if you lose it, it’s on you,” says Justice. “Termites can even eat your certificates, so you have to keep them safe. Some of us travel from the village where we live, and there is always the worry our certificates may not be there when we get back.”
Lost or stolen certificates can only be replaced after a police investigation and at the cost of $70 (250,000 Ugandan shillings) per certificate. It’s a significant burden in a country where the average annual salary is about $18,000 per year, and where youth unemployment is one of the highest in Africa. Graduates in the U.S. could simply request a copy of their certificate — and in any case, are rarely even asked for paper proof of their qualifications — yet graduates in many countries like Uganda can lose money and miss work opportunities if their documentation is lost, damaged, or stolen.
Blockchain is a decentralized database that stores information, an immutable digital ledger that can be applied to any number of uses.
Intrigued about how to improve such an inefficient system, Justice started working with the Norwegian startup Diwala in 2018. The company aims to address the global issue of identity theft and certification fraud by creating a digital, blockchain-backed version of certificates like…
