The Nigerian government, with the support of the World Bank, is undertaking a significant initiative to issue digital identification (ID) to its citizens. The project, known as the Nigeria Digital Identification for Development Project, aims to provide digital ID for around 148 million Nigerians by the year 2024. The World Bank’s involvement in this initiative indicates its commitment to enhancing digital identity coverage and financial inclusion in Nigeria.
The project seeks to streamline and modernize the country’s identification system by leveraging biometric data and digital technologies to issue national IDs. Over a hundred million citizens have already registered for the new eID program, showcasing its ambitious scale and potential impact on improving access to various services and opportunities for the Nigerian population
The ambitious target is to provide at least 148 million people of working age with a digital national ID by the middle of 2024, marking a significant step towards inclusion and accessibility.
Chaudhuri stated this at a dinner in partnership with the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy in Abuja on Friday.
He further reaffirmed the organization’s commitment to eradicating poverty, improving lives, and creating job opportunities for the country’s youth.
Chaudhuri emphasized the potential of leveraging digital technologies to drive transformation and outlined two key areas of partnership with Nigeria to achieve these goals.
He said,” Our main mission here in Nigeria is to eliminate poverty, make lives better create jobs, for all Nigerian youth. One of the areas that we think have the greatest potential is the area of using digital technologies to transform. Now to do that it begins with having this digital national ID.
“So one of the main partnerships we have is working with NIMC to ensure the rollout of the registration so that all 213/220million Nigerians have a digital national ID, beginning of course with all people of working age and I think the target for that is at least 148 million people by the middle of next year.
He added,” The second is helping Nigeria lead the broadband infrastructure for broadband connectivity because Without broadband connectivity digital technologies will lead to a digital divide. So there support has been for good kinds of policies and regulations that will help invite private investment into this space and then fibre optic cables.
One thing, for example, working with states to persuade states to reduce the right of way fees and fiber. Cable operators have to pay more when they’re getting the land to ray the cable, All that is like the foundations and real potential comes from once you have the national ID all the technologies that apps that can be built on the weather to bring services to people, to people where they get people access to finance that all of that needs skills.”
Also speaking, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, revealed that the government has secured access to approximately half a billion dollars in funding to initiate a local funding program.
This initiative he said aims to boost innovation and entrepreneurship within the country’s digital sector.
He said,” So we’ve got access to about half a billion dollars to start local funding.”
Tijani outlined the government’s plan to domicile local funding in Nigeria and ensure that it benefits true Nigerian businesses, adding that it will be collaborating with the Bank of Industry.
He, however, highlighted the importance of supporting and promoting Nigerian businesses, stating, “We want to ensure that those businesses that will benefit are true, real Nigerian businesses.”
He added that by domiciling the funding locally, the government aims to foster the growth and development of homegrown enterprises, ultimately contributing to the country’s economic progress.
The minister assured the public that the initial half a billion dollars announced for local funding is just the beginning. He stressed that more investors will be brought on board, increasing the funds available to support Nigerian innovators. Minister Tijani emphasized that the government’s goal is to leverage this money to attract additional investment and expand resources for local entrepreneurs.
He added,” Part of my responsibilities is working with BOI to ensure that we domicile that funding locally in Nigeria, work with firms who manage and invest in businesses to ensure that those businesses that will benefit are true, real Nigerian businesses.
“And what we are going to see is that the funding is available locally and in the coming months it is going to become larger and as these funds become larger we want to leverage that money as well.
“So the government is not just going to put half a billion and that’s it, it can actually bring more investors to heart as we have more money more of our innovators can have access to resources.”
