India in Talks with African Countries on Sharing Its Biometric Technology

India is in talks with nine African countries to export its technology, which has helped the South Asian nation to successfully build a biometric identification system and a digital payments network.

India is in talks with nine African countries to export its technology. (Reuters)

India is in talks with nine African countries to export its technology, which has helped the South Asian nation to successfully build a biometric identification system and a digital payments network.

India Stack, a moniker for application programming interfaces and apps, uses the country's unique biometric identity, known as Aadhaar, as a building block for services such as digital payments and health apps.

Nations such as Morocco and Tanzania are seeking this technology to widen the reach of their welfare programs and public services, India's deputy technology minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar said in an interview at the India Stack Developer Conference on Wednesday.

India, an information technology powerhouse that makes software for global giants including Apple Inc. and Boeing Co., is aiming to use its tech prowess to assert its soft power. Also, in recent years, New Delhi has sought closer ties with the US and its western allies to counter an economically and militarily assertive China, often at the expense of its engagement with developing countries. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is now looking to fix that.

Modi's government is also encouraging Indian startups to develop apps and solutions based on India Stack for other countries, Chandrasekhar said.