*Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, CCIE, Director-General/CEO, Nigeria’s National Information Technology Development Agency, describes digital identity as far more than a card or identification number, stating ‘digital identity is the trust layer of the digital economy’
Alexander Davis | ConsumerConnect
Malam Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, CCIE, Director-General/Chief Executive Officer (CEO), National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), has participated in the high-level panel session, “Identity in Action and Access to the Digital Economy”, at the 81st UN General Assembly (UNGA81), in New York, United States (US).
Nigeria’s National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) organised the session as part of discussions on “The Digital Public Ecosystem; Identity, Trust & Inclusive Access”.
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NITDA disclosed the Director-General joined Sen. Ibrahim Hassan Hadejia, Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Federal Republic of Nigeria; Aderemi Adebowale, National Co-ordinator, Renewed Hope – National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme; and Olugbenga Agboola, Co-founder & Chief Executive Officer, Flutterwave.
Diwura Oladepo, Executive Director, Technology for Social Change and Development (Tech4Dev) moderated the session.
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Speaking on how Nigeria can leverage digital identity to expand access to services and strengthen interoperable Digital Public Infrastructure, Inuwa described digital identity as much more than a card or identification number.
He said: “Digital identity is the trust layer of the digital economy.”
He also explained that trusted digital identity can transform the innovation landscape by allowing authorised innovators and service providers to build on foundational identity infrastructure rather than repeatedly creating fragmented identity systems.
According to him, this can enable faster customer onboarding, reduce verification costs and extend trusted digital services across fintech, health, education, agriculture, insurance and government services.
Using practical illustrations, the NITDA Chief Executive 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.
Inuwa as well emphasised that Nigeria’s next challenge is to convert the growing scale of digital identity into trusted utility moving progressively.
According to the IT sector regulatory agency, the Director-General’s central message was clear that “digital identity is not the destination; it is the doorway.”
He emphasised that the goal is not simply to identify Nigerians, but to create a trusted, secure, and interoperable digital ecosystem that enables every Nigerian, regardless of geography, gender or economic status; to access services, participate safely in the digital economy and unlock new opportunities.