Omaheke governor Pijoo Nganate says rural communities, particularly the marginalised, need to be convinced to buy into electronic identification documents (e-IDs) the government intends to introduce, if it is to be inclusive. The governor’s concerns were fuelled by the realisation that marginalised communities in the Omaheke region, primarily composed of the San population, make up a large number of the country’s total marginalised population, representing a significant sub-group facing deep developmental disparities. According to the Namibia Statistics Agency 2023 Population and Housing Census, the San population makes up 11.7% of the total population in the Omaheke region. Geraldine Itana of the UNDP says the new e-IDs will be renewed every 10 years to ensure the information remains relevant. “This will also help to weed out ghost workers and beneficiaries from institutions like medical aid funds and pension funds,” she says.