The Three Zones
Every interaction in the YOMA ecosystem involves three roles: someone issuing a credential, someone holding it, and someone verifying it. These roles map directly to the partners in the network.Learning & Impact Partners (Issuers)
These are the partners on the left side of the ecosystem — they create verified proof of what youth have achieved.Learning Providers
Learning providers train youth and need to credential them when milestones are reached.| Who | Training organisations, ed-tech platforms, government education bodies |
| Examples | Umuzi (web development), ed-tech platforms, government education bodies |
| What they need | Automated credential issuance, cross-ecosystem outcome tracking, reduced certificate admin |
| Pain point | They can’t track youth outcomes beyond their own system. Manual PDF certificates create admin overhead and are easy to forge. |
| What YoID gives them | A REST API to issue verifiable credentials automatically. Visibility into how credentials are used across the ecosystem. Proof of impact for funder reporting. |
Impact Partners
Impact partners fund or deliver programmes and need verified proof that participation happened.| Who | Impact measurement organisations, funders, CSR programmes |
| Examples | DUCT (impact creation), ESG-aligned funders |
| What they need | Verifiable proof of participation and outcomes, tied back to funder reporting |
| Pain point | Traditionally there is no way to independently verify impact claims. Self-reported data doesn’t satisfy investors or donors. |
| What YoID gives them | Verified impact claims backed by cryptographic proof. Credentials that tie directly to funder metrics and ESG reporting. |
Government Partners
Government bodies issue foundational identity credentials that anchor a youth’s identity across the ecosystem.| Who | National departments, regulatory bodies |
| Examples | DHA (national ID), DBE (matric results) |
| What they need | Digital-first credentialing that reduces fraud and admin |
| Pain point | Paper-based systems are slow, expensive, and vulnerable to fraud |
| What YoID gives them | A standards-based way to issue foundational credentials digitally, reducing verification bottlenecks across the economy |
All issuer types use the same REST API. The only difference is the credential template they define — a learning provider templates a “Course Completion” while a government body templates a “National ID Verification.”
Youth (Holders)
Youth sit at the centre of the ecosystem. They are young people around the world building pathways from learning to employment.| Who | Young people across the world building pathways from learning to employment |
| What they get | A verifiable CV — a digital wallet containing all credentials issued to them across the ecosystem |
| Their agency | Youth control what they share, with whom, and when. They can selectively disclose specific attributes without revealing everything. |
- Credential arrival: When a learning partner issues a credential, it lands in the youth’s wallet — even before they’ve activated their account. When they sign in, pending credentials are waiting.
- Consent prompts: When an employer requests verification, the youth’s wallet displays exactly what’s being asked and by whom. They choose whether to share.
- Selective disclosure: Thandi can share her “Web Development Completion” credential with an employer without revealing her assessment score, her date of birth, or any attribute she considers private.
Employers & Opportunity Providers (Verifiers)
These are the partners on the right side of the ecosystem — they consume and verify credentials.Employers
Employers need to confirm that candidates actually have the skills and qualifications they claim.| Who | Recruitment platforms, companies hiring at scale, staffing agencies |
| Examples | JobJack (employment provider), corporate HR departments |
| What they need | Instant verification of candidate credentials, richer profiles than a PDF CV |
| Pain point | Manual document verification is slow (weeks, not seconds), expensive, and fraud-prone |
| What YoID gives them | Instant cryptographic verification. Richer candidate profiles. Reduced cost of verification. |
Opportunity Providers
Opportunity providers run scholarship programmes, internships, or funding rounds that require eligibility checks.| Who | Scholarship administrators, bursary programmes, youth development funds |
| What they need | Automated eligibility verification across hundreds of applicants |
| Pain point | Three weeks of manual document checking for every intake cycle |
| What YoID gives them | Batch verification against credential criteria. Instant eligibility filtering. |
How the Roles Connect
Issuers
Umuzi issues “Web Dev Completion” to Thandi’s wallet.DUCT issues “Impact Verified” to Thandi’s wallet.
Youth (Holder)
Thandi holds credentials and controls disclosure.She chooses what to share, with whom, and when.
Verifiers
JobJack requests “Web Dev Completion” from Thandi.A scholarship programme checks eligibility.
The Type Bridge
Thetype field in a credential template is what connects issuers to verifiers. When Umuzi creates a template with type WebDevCompletion, the API returns a full type URI. An employment provider uses that exact URI in their presentation template to request matching credentials.
Issuers and verifiers don’t need a direct relationship — they just need to reference the same credential type.
Next Steps
Credentials Explained
How verifiable credentials work under the hood
Start Integrating
Ready to build? Jump to the API integration guide