From Identity To Opportunity: NITDA DG Champions Digital Identity As The Trust Layer For Nigeria’s Digital Economy At UNGA81
By Godson Umejiego, Bureau Chief, The Americas and Angeline Mgbele, Bureau Chief, Northern Nigeria
The Director-General/CEO of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Mallam Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, participated in the high-level panel session, “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.”
Mallam Abdullahi joined Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Federal Republic of Nigeria; Sen. Ibrahim Hassan Hadejia, National Co-ordinator, Renewed Hope – National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme Aderemi Adebowale; and Co-founder & Chief Executive Officer, Flutterwave Olugbenga Agboola. The session was moderated by Executive Director, Technology for Social Change and Development (Tech4Dev) Diwura Oladepo.
Speaking on how Nigeria could leverage digital identity to expand access to services and strengthen interoperable Digital Public Infrastructure, Abdullahi described digital identity as much more than a card or identification number: “Digital identity is the trust layer of the digital economy,” he said.
He explained that trusted digital identity could transform the innovation landscape by allowing authorised innovators and service providers to build on foundational identity infrastructure rather than repeatedly creating fragmented identity systems. This, he said, could hasten customer onboarding, reduce verification costs and extend trusted digital services across fintech, health, education, agriculture, insurance and government services.
Using practical illustrations, the NITDA DG demonstrated how interoperable infrastructure could enable a farmer to establish identity through the NIN, verify eligibility through an agricultural platform, receive support through a payment rail, and interact with authorised government systems through trusted data exchange, without repeatedly submitting the same information to multiple institutions.
He emphasised that Nigeria’s next challenge was to convert the growing scale of digital identity into trusted utility moving progressively. His central message was clear: “Digital identity is not the destination; it is the doorway.”
To the NITDA boss, the goal was not simply to identify Nigerians, but to create a trusted, secure and interoperable digital ecosystem that enabled every Nigerian, regardless of geography, gender or economic status ; to access services, participate safely in the digital economy and unlock new opportunities.
