By Daniel Edu

The World Bank has commended the Nigeria Identity for National Development (ID4D) project, highlighting the Nigeria Identity Management Commission’s (NIMC) significant strides in achieving its objectives.

Under the ID4D project, NIMC aims to issue National Identification Numbers (NIN) to 148 million Nigerians by June 2024. As of December 2023, NIMC had already issued NINs to 104.16 million Nigerians, reaching 70% of the target.

In its latest implementation report published on March 29, 2024, the World Bank stated that NIMC’s progress is deemed satisfactory.

Key Milestones Achieved:
– NIMC has updated its Android enrollment software, streamlining the enrollment process by reducing fields to 10 minimal requirements and introducing two-factor authentication for enrollment officers.
– Partnerships with humanitarian and civil societies have been established to ensure the inclusive enrollment of women, with enrollment numbers reaching approximately 45 million, representing 59.4% of targeted female enrollment.
– Child enrollment initiatives and school-based campaigns have been implemented, resulting in the enrollment of 16 million children, 31.1% of the targeted child enrollment.

Data Security Enhancements:
Despite recent concerns regarding unauthorized access to the NIN database, the report highlights substantial updates in various components of the National Identity Management System (NIMS), including front-end software and middleware solutions, resulting in improved safeguards and data security.

Efforts are underway to further enhance system efficiency to enable real-time NIN generation, with updates planned for back-end solutions by vendors IDEMIA and Nadra.

Project Financing and Objectives:
The ID4D project, initiated in 2019, is financed through an International Development Association (IDA) credit of US$115 million, with co-financing from the French Agency for Development and the European Investment Bank.

The project’s objective is to increase the number of individuals with a national ID number, facilitating their access to services through a robust and inclusive foundational identification system.

As of April 30, 2023, a total of $35.6 million had been disbursed for project implementation, with the World Bank overseeing and monitoring progress.