Speaking to the media Saturday, Mr Costa explained that his recent trip to Malaysia was for benchmarking purposes, saying, Malaysian immigration authority agreed to train South Sudanese immigration officers in border control techniques.
“We met with Malaysian immigration officials, who assured us of their cooperation in training our personnel, particularly in border management,” he said.
Gen. Costa also visited Malaysia’s printing facilities for passports and national IDs to learn from their processes. “We gained valuable insights into their passport printing methods,” he noted.
Mr Costa also spent four days in Ethiopia attending the annual ID for Africa summit. “In Addis Ababa, we acquired significant knowledge about digital identification,” he stated. “As the world advances technologically, it is our responsibility to keep pace.”
MP Samuel Buhori Loti, Deputy Chair of the Specialised Committee on National Security and Public Order, highlighted South Sudan’s low ranking in registration and identity penetration among peer nations.
“As legislators, we have identified numerous gaps in the laws governing civil registry and migration,” he said. “We are committed to improving these laws to address these issues.”
Loti emphasised the urgency of expanding registration and issuing identity cards to citizens. “The world is moving toward digitalisation, and we must not be left behind. Digital identity encompasses many critical activities,” he stressed.
Col. David Oromo Jobo-Jobo, Deputy Director for ICT at the immigration department and South Sudan’s Ambassador for ID for Africa, noted that South Sudan’s membership in the ID for Africa movement has been recognised.
“ID for Africa, which began in 2015, represents the views of all Africans and defines the concept of identity,” he said. “Identity is more than just a card; it encompasses many aspects of life. South Sudan must now move toward digitalisation.”
