Skylets

Inspiration

Across Africa, proving identity outside your own country is still difficult. A person may have a national ID, but a bank, business, or government service in another country cannot easily trust or verify it. This leads to long verification processes, paperwork, exclusion from financial services, and barriers to cross-border trade.

We were inspired by this real gap between digital transformation and practical trust. Africa is building mobile money, e-commerce, and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), yet identity the foundation of every transaction remains fragmented. We wanted to solve not the lack of IDs, but the lack of interoperability and trust between them.

What it does

RATI is a shared digital identity trust layer that connects existing national ID systems across Africa. It does not replace national IDs and does not store citizens’ personal data in one central database.

Instead, our platform securely verifies whether an identity is valid and routes user consent when information needs to be shared. The individual controls what data is shared, while institutions receive trusted verification.

RATI enables: Faster and cheaper KYC for banks and fintechs Secure onboarding for digital services Reduced fraud and duplicate records Easier access to financial services Trusted cross-border trade and mobility In simple terms, RATI allows institutions to trust an identity without owning or storing the person’s data.

How we built it

We designed RATI as an interoperability framework rather than a replacement system.

Our approach: We simulated national identity providers as separate systems Built an API-based verification gateway that connects them Created a consent-routing mechanism where the user approves what information is shared Added tiered verification levels (basic verification, government verification, biometric-level confirmation) Ensured no personal data is centrally stored only verification results are transmitted

The architecture functions as a verification network, not a database. It acts as a bridge between identity providers and service providers (banks, government platforms, and businesses).

Challenges we ran into

The main challenges were not only technical, but also institutional and social. Governments are cautious about systems connected to national identity because of data sovereignty, so gaining trust and buy-in is difficult. Different countries also have varying data protection laws, which complicates cross-border implementation. Technically, integrating multiple national ID systems is complex since they differ in technology and maturity. We also anticipate concerns from citizens about privacy and slow adoption from small businesses unfamiliar with digital verification. Finally, sustaining a large digital public infrastructure like RATI requires long-term funding and partnerships beyond the pilot stage.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

No accomplishments so far but just the knowledge from the research we found a gap that needs to be filled.

What we learned

We learned that the biggest barrier to digital services in Africa is not technology, it is trust.

Many institutions repeat identity verification because they cannot rely on another system’s verification. This duplication increases cost, slows innovation, and excludes users.

We also learned: Centralized databases create privacy and political concerns Countries want data sovereignty Businesses want reliable verification, not raw personal data Users want control over their own information

This showed us that identity solutions should focus on verification and consent, not data collection.

What's next for Skylets

Our next step is to move from prototype to pilot implementation.

We plan to: Integrate with real national identity frameworks through standards-based APIs Pilot the system with banks and fintech onboarding Expand to government services such as social benefits and digital public services Align with regional economic communities (like SADC) for cross-border use Add mobile wallet authentication and biometric verification layers

Our long-term vision is for RATI to become foundational digital public infrastructure — a continental trust network that enables secure digital transactions, financial inclusion, and seamless cross-border commerce in Africa.