Nigeria’s digital ID initiative has received a boost from South Korea’s foreign aid agency with a donation of new biometric devices to accelerate enrollment.
The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) donated 350 Android devices to enroll Nigerians for the National Identification Number (NIN). The devices were certified by the National Identity Management Commission and were handed over to Nigeria’s Postal Service (NIPOST).
In its announcement, NIPOST stated that the devices will help the West African nation expand NIN enrollment nationwide, especially in marginalized and remote communities. Nigeria’s rural areas remain largely underserved, with less than a third of rural homes having access to electricity.
In a separate announcement, KOICA’s Nigerian office said the devices are part of its ongoing efforts to support digital governance in Nigeria. It added that the devices come equipped with the necessary enrolment software, deployment support, and training “to ensure they are put to effective use in strengthening Nigeria’s digital identity ecosystem.”
The donation comes as Nigeria edges closer to launching the Government Service Portal (GPS), a platform for digital governance that will require NIN numbers to access.
“These devices will be crucial in helping Nigerians benefit from future government digital services,” commented KOICA Nigeria’s country director, Eunsub Kim.
Nigeria is a trailblazer in digital identity in Africa. The NIMC claims to have issued NIN numbers to more than 126 million Nigerians. This month, the Ministry of Communications and Technology announced that NIN enrolment will be mandatory, with all telecoms now required to only register new subscribers who have the unique identifier.
The country now relies on MOSIP, an open-source digital identity platform developed in India and backed by the Gates Foundation. NIMC began migrating data to MOSIP in July and has recently invited bids to build an $83 million identity management system on the platform.
“The whole migration process is well thought out, and proper change-management procedures are in place to ensure a seamless transition,” NIMC recently told one local outlet.
Beyond its local campaign, Nigeria recently launched a National Biometric Identity Card for ECOWAS, the economic bloc for 15 West African states.
Collectively, the deployment of digital ID across the continent has become a costly endeavor, with one report estimating that over $1 billion has been invested in these initiatives. Nigeria and Ethiopia account for the bulk of the funds; the World Bank has issued loans worth $780 million to the two countries.
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Source: https://coingeek.com/nigeria-receives-biometric-devices-from-south-korea/
