Open source has passed the deployment test. Now comes the test of time.
Open source has passed the deployment test. Now comes the test of time.
On 15 May in Abidjan, I had the privilege of moderating the Open Source Symposium at ID4Africa 2026. A full day, two main parts, thirteen panellists from Africa, South Asia and major international organisations.
This panel concentrated a very significant weight of expertise on the implementation of identity DPI, and represents several billion dollars already invested in the topic.
What emerged comes down to one shift:
- 300M+ people enrolled on MOSIP across 26 countries
- 40 million Ethiopians registered on Fayda
- 100+ countries running DHIS2, sustained by local HISP nodes
The question is no longer scale. It is sustainability.
From 2026 onward, several countries are exiting the deployment loan cycle. The challenge becomes: how do States sustain these foundations over the long term, and how do they build the service ecosystem on top of them?
Two questions, not one:
- Loans to States, which must now anchor OPEX in national budgets and prepare local capacity, not just deliver the system.
- Donations to platforms, which by design are not eternal. Philanthropy ignites. A community takes the relay.
The HISP/DHIS2 model shows it can be done. The open question: are MOSIP and OpenCRVS in a position to follow the same path?
I gathered the 12 takeaways from the day in a full article, with contributions from the Gates Foundation, the World Bank, MOSIP, OpenCRVS, Smart Africa, HISP/DHIS2, and the country delegations from Togo, Ethiopia, Uganda, Somalia, Madagascar, Sri Lanka and Senegal.
👉 Read the full article on LinkedIn
The slides from my keynote will follow in the comments on LinkedIn.
#ID4Africa2026 #OpenSource #DigitalPublicInfrastructure #DPI #CRVS #DigitalIdentity
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