Editorial

Nigeria lays foundations of national Digital Identity ecosystem

Country’s Federal Executive Council (FEC) approves ‘the immediate implementation’ of a strategic roadmap for a new way of delivering public services and boosting the country’s economy

Posted 19 September 2018 by Gary Flood


Nigeria’s ruling body, the Federal Executive Council (FEC), last week approved the immediate implementation of a strategic roadmap for a new Digital Identity Ecosystem in the West African country.

The idea: position the nation as a leader in the global economy in the light of its 2017 Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP).

The use of Digital Identity would also “meet the critical needs of the citizenry” in areas like food security, energy, transport, human capital development, as well as developing a robust local digital economy.

The plan is to get more enrolment of both local citizens Nigerians and lawful residents into the country’s National Identity Database (NIDB), which would mean the “mandatory use” of its National Identification Number system, the NIN, from January of next year.

That will then dovetail into a framework that leverages on existing capabilities and infrastructure of distinct government agencies and private sector organisations to carry out enrolment of citizens and legal residents nationwide, as well as issuance of the NIN, says the body leading the roll-out of Digital Identity in the country, the NIMC (National Identity Management Commission).

Commenting on the announcement, the NIMC’s head, Aliyu Abubakar Aziz, noted that accurate identification was “fundamental” to Nigeria achieving economic development, but that many of his countrymen and women lack basic identification documents “in spite of efforts over the years”.

The news comes the same week that Bill Gates warned that rising population figures could mean that 40% of all the poorest people in the world could be concentrated in just two African countries by 2050 – the Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria.