Physical identification is necessary to ensure the maintenance of entitlements for recipients of social benefits who receive them via financial institutions or mobile phone operators. However, such identification has limitations because it only takes place once a year.
However, recipients may pass away after identification. Given the unreliability of the civil registration system, the agency has no means of halting payment of benefits for the rest of the year. If left unchecked, this kind of situation can lead to financial losses for the organization.
To avoid waiting until the year’s end to verify that an elderly person is still alive, the National Social Security Fund (Caisse nationale de prévoyance sociale – CNPS) of Cameroon has introduced a double identification system to confirm proof of life for people over 70, who are generally the last beneficiaries of an entitlement.