WURI: World Bank approves disbursement of $273 million for the second phase of the project

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Thursday, 30 April 2020 03:58
WURI: World Bank approves disbursement of $273 million for the second phase of the project

(Togo First) - On April 29, the World Bank approved the disbursement of $273 million for Togo, Benin, Burkina Faso, and Niger, by its International Development Association (IDA).

The funds are allocated for the West Africa Unique Identification for Regional Integration and Inclusion (WURI) program. The latter, which is currently in its second phase, seeks to facilitate access to services for people in the region, women and the poorest especially. 

For Togo especially, the money will be used to accelerate the implementation of the E-ID project which is a biometric identification project. The goal of the latter is to make sure that every person living in Togo has a unique ID number by 2025. 

Led by the ECOWAS, the WURI program is to set basic ID systems including anyone physically present in the community, regardless of their nationality, citizenship, or legal status. This ultimately should serve to improve their access to basic services such as social protection, healthcare, pension, as well as improve financial and digital inclusion, empower women and girls, and boost workers’ mobility. “These services are more important than ever regarding the period we are going through with the Covid-19,” according to the World Bank. 

Overall, 65 million people are concerned by the financing. Let it be recalled as well that the first phase of the WURI was launched in 2018, in Côte d’Ivoire and Guinea. The project’s total cost is $395.1 million.

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