Zambia builds a national root of trust for digital signatures
The new national public key infrastructure will issue the certificates that make electronic signatures and online identity legally reliable.
Zambia has launched its first National Public Key Infrastructure (NPKI), announced on 7 September. The system, built with Altron Security, is meant to be the sovereign cryptographic foundation for digital identity, electronic signatures and secure online government.
What a PKI does
A national PKI works like an official passport office for the internet. It issues and verifies the digital certificates that prove who is on the other end of an online transaction, which is what makes an electronic signature on a contract or permit legally reliable. Zambia expects it to support wider use of electronic approvals, strengthen dealings between agencies and with citizens, and reduce reliance on paper.
Guarding the keys
Altron won the work through a public tender three years ago and has since designed and commissioned the whole system with the government, including root and issuing certification authorities, governance frameworks and training, ITWeb reports. The root keys were generated in a purpose-built secure facility, in a ceremony witnessed by a notary and independently audited. The key material is held offline and split between custodians in separate locations, so that no single person holds the keys to the country's root of trust.
Research desk, Online
Stories by the IQGov research desk are written from public documents, official data and on-record statements, which are listed and linked at the end of each piece.
