By Mamadou Dian Barry
With the democratisation of smartphones and broadband internet, the QR code (Quick Response) has become widespread in Africa.
Thanks in particular to its use in mobile payment and e-commerce, it has developed on a large scale on the continent.
In Senegal, a team of young people is proposing to make certain administrative procedures more accessible thanks to this technology.
Invented in 1994 by the Japanese company Denso Wave, the QR code is a two-dimensional barcode, represented by a square of pixels. It allows information to be decrypted by scanning in a few seconds. Today, it can be found in many sectors.
It is a revolutionary tool that the Senegalese start-up Art'Beau-Resecence intends to use to facilitate administrative procedures.
Its founders, six young Senegalese: Abdoulaye Niasse, Moussa Mbaye, Cheikh Cissé, Fatima Fall Ndiaye, El hadj Samba Niangand Aminatou Djiri Diallo.
In the life of any Senegalese citizen, marital status for example is a fundamental element. Without it, it is difficult to have access to basic services related to education, health, or banking.
What these young Senegalese are proposing is "to have all personal data gathered in a QR code", says El Hadj Samba Niang.
For his part, Cheikh Cissé explains that "this QR code will generate a great deal of information such as the curriculum vitae, the marital status, including the birth, marriage the death certificates, the medical file, etc.
By a simple scan, the QR code generates your wedding date and all the related information.
What about security and privacy?
We are living in a world of change with the digitalisation of services on offer. However this transition brings major challenges, including the issue of protecting people’s privacy from hacking and other forms of data theft.
Abdoulaye and his colleagues are well aware of the fact that "personal data is at stake" and that the type of system they have developed is a potential target for hackers and other data hunters whose ability to cause harm no longer needs to be proven.
But those young investors assure us that they have found a way to anticipate acts of hacking. "Imagine it's only based on a QR code! Whoever manages to hack it, will have access to all your files.
So for more security, we are constantly working on better advanced levels of encryption, with a QR code for each file", Abdoulaye explained.
"No system is perfect, he added, but we are working to protect our system as much as possible,- against any possible computer hacking".
Saving time and money
The Senegalese government is working to digitise the public administration. This innovation, according to its promoters, will allow people to save time and money in their efforts to access administrative documents.
Obtaining a birth certificate, a criminal record or a marriage certificate may seem easy in some countries, but in Senegal, to get a simple birth certificate, you have to go to the town hall where you were registered.
Many people travel hundreds of kilometres to obtain the documents they need in order to apply for a job or to take part in a contest, etc.
Niang is adamant that this QR Code will make life easier for people, as it will help them save time and money.
"Someone, who was born in Tambacounda (the largest city in eastern Senegal) for example, would simply scan the QR code containing his data to access all the documents he or she requires, without having to go anywhere. The documents can then be sent in real time.
No need to make any more phone calls. All the process is carried out with the consent of the person concerned, of course, because we're not going to scan or access personal data without people’s consent," he added.
The start-up is looking for a way to cooperate with Senegal's town halls in order to implement this system. This would not only ease congestion but also facilitate the process for people who are finding it hard to obtain certain administrative documents.
"If you urgently want your birth certificate, you just need to enter the application and thanks to the cooperation with the town hall, the person will be able to download his or her file and update it constantly at his request".
This is a package of services the start-up is offering with guaranteed access, in exchange of an online payment.
It also offers its services to other sectors: health, education and transport.
For instance, "if a driver forgets his vehicle's papers, he can just present his QR code to the traffic officer who can scan it and check the documents." Niasse said.
"With the QR code, you don't have to worry about losing your diploma or certificate. No need to make all the efforts, usually required, to get a duplicate. With our system, you can e-download your diploma," Niang revealed.
According to him, with the QR code, doctors can also, with a simple scan, access a baby's birth certificate and find out whether he or she is up to date with vaccinations.
An ecological solution
Art'Beau-Rescence also aims to be an environmentally friendly company. Indeed, to issue documents, administrations use paper made from wood. And the abusive cutting of wood is very harmful to the environment. The use of the QR code in services can be an ecological solution in this respect.
"The main objective is to go for green solutions as ecology is important. So the aim is to digitalise all services, therefore we won't have to print things out and waste paper. That's why it's important to use digitalization," Niasse explained.
"We can do even better with the recycling of plastic to make key rings with a QR code printed on them, using 3D," adds Niasse.
To develop this technology, Art'Beau-Rescence has joined forces with partners from the Senegalese private sector, as they are seeking to attract the public sector, including town halls, for a quick delivery system of documents.
