Design of a Centralized Digital ID System for Public Services in Zambia

Digital transformation has heightened the importance of secure and interoperable identity systems for public service delivery. In Zambia, identity management remains fragmented, with ministries and agencies maintaining siloed databases, resulting in duplication, inefficiencies, and vulnerabilities (Smart Zambia Institute, 2020). This study proposes a Centralized Digital Identity Management System (CDIMS) designed for Zambia’s public sector. The CDIMS integrates citizen registration, secure authentication, credential lifecycle management, audit logging, and institutional interoperability through APIs. Guided by the Design Science Research (DSR) methodology, the study followed six stages: problem identification, objective setting, design, prototype development, demonstration, and evaluation (Hevner et al., 2004). A prototype developed using PHP (CodeIgniter), Spring Boot, and MySQL, was tested with simulated services. Findings showed that CDIMS reduces duplication, achieves authentication response times under two seconds, and enhances interoperability while maintaining data integrity via role-based access control and audit trails. This research concludes that a centralized framework can improve service efficiency, inclusion, and trust in governance. Although limited to a prototype, the study offers a policy-relevant blueprint for scaling Zambia’s digital identity infrastructure in line with the Smart Zambia agenda and global best practices (World Bank, 2018).