Transforming lives in Benin: a unique identification system

Kouatena, North West Benin. Simplice, 11, proudly holds his “C’est Moi” card. For this student, this document is much more than an ID: it is the key to passing his primary school certificate. Not long ago, in the absence of a birth certificate, his educational future was in danger of coming to an abrupt end. His mother, Gnondo Bio Kpera, remembers the anguish of these impossible steps: “Before, we had to bother ourselves and spend money. Now, our children get them without difficulty and without paying anything.”

One card, lives transformed

Pélagie Sagbo, a palm oil trader in Adjarra, in the southeast of the country, dreamed of expanding her business. Without an identity card, nothing was possible: no credit or bank account. The day she received the “C’est Moi” card, everything changed: “As soon as I got one, my life changed. I was able to take out a loan, open my own shop, and now I take care of my children.”

Augustine Assogba, a haberdashery seller, tells a similar story. Without an ID, her children were regularly expelled from school. “Thanks to the “C’est Moi” card, I received training, opened a Mobile Money account, and received a loan. Now I have my own business and pay for my children’s schooling. I never thought this possible.”

These stories illustrate the vision of the Regional Unique Identification Project (WURI): to make identity a right for all. By facilitating access to jobs, credit, and entrepreneurship, the project directly links to the World Bank Group’s agenda for job creation and economic inclusion—equipping everyone to participate fully in the formal economy and build sustainable livelihoods.