By Saminu Ibrahim
The Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, CCIE, has described digital identity as a critical foundation for expanding access to Nigeria’s digital economy and strengthening Digital Public Infrastructure.
Abdullahi stated this while participating in a high-level panel session titled, “Identity in Action and Access to the Digital Economy,” convened by the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) as part of discussions on “The Digital Public Ecosystem: Identity, Trust & Inclusive Access.”
The session brought together the Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Senator Ibrahim Hassan Hadejia; National Coordinator of the Renewed Hope National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme, Aderemi Adebowale; and Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Flutterwave, Olugbenga Agboola.
The discussion was moderated by Diwura Oladepo, Executive Director, Technology for Social Change and Development (Tech4Dev).
Speaking on how Nigeria could leverage digital identity to expand access to services and strengthen interoperable Digital Public Infrastructure, the NITDA DG said digital identity goes beyond possessing a card or identification number.
“Digital identity is the trust layer of the digital economy,” he said.
According to him, trusted digital identity could transform Nigeria’s innovation landscape by enabling authorised innovators and service providers to build on foundational identity infrastructure rather than repeatedly creating fragmented identity systems.
He explained that such an approach could facilitate faster customer onboarding, reduce verification costs and expand access to trusted digital services across sectors, including fintech, healthcare, education, agriculture, insurance and government services.
Using a practical illustration, Abdullahi explained that interoperable digital infrastructure could allow a farmer to establish identity through the National Identification Number (NIN), verify eligibility through an agricultural platform, receive support through a payment system and access authorised government services through trusted data exchange.
He noted that this would reduce the need for citizens to repeatedly submit the same information to different institutions.
The NITDA boss, however, said Nigeria’s next challenge was to transform the growing scale of digital identity into practical and trusted utility.
He stressed that the objective should not be limited to identifying Nigerians, but should focus on building a secure, trusted and interoperable digital ecosystem capable of expanding access to essential services and economic opportunities.
“Digital identity is not the destination; it is the doorway,” Abdullahi said.
He added that a robust digital identity ecosystem could enable Nigerians, irrespective of their location, gender or economic status, to access services, participate safely in the digital economy and unlock new opportunities.
