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Report Says over 100m Nigerians Don’t Have Recognised ID

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Over 100 million Nigerians lack access to any form of recognised identy Card (ID), and about 500 million Africans do not have any form of recognisable legal identity, according to a report by VerifyMe Nigeria.

Report Says over 100m Nigerians Don’t Have Recognised ID

In a report titled, ‘Digital ID in Nigeria: State of the Industry,’ the firm said Nigeria like most other nations operates a foundational ID system concerned with accounting for the population overall, and functional IDs to demonstrate eligibility for certain services such as voting or driving.

According to it, foundational ID systems are identical to national IDs issued by the government to clarify someone’s legal status while functional IDs facilitate the identification and authorisation of a people’s eligibility for specific use cases.

It said, “At last count, approximately 500 million Africans had no form of recognisable legal identity.

“Additionally, over 100 million Nigerians, or a little less than half the population do not have any form of recognised ID, including other non-NIN ID.

“This means roughly 40 per cent of the continent and 50 per cent of the country, respectively, lack an integral enabler of benefits such as accessing a financial product, voting, or participating in online marketplaces.”

The firm added that currently, 15 per cent of Nigerians have both an e-ID card and a NIN while 30 per cent have a NIN (66m) but not e-ID card8 (the physical token linked to the NIN).

According to the report, the nation’s digital identity ecosystem is based on the foundational identity of a National Identity Number, which the government intends to make the most widely used form of identity.

It added that the nation is presently undergoing a multi-year harmonisation effort to connect data from various government agencies’ identity datasets to NIMCs National Identity Database.

It said, “There are at least 19 agencies that will be connected to the NIN upon full harmonisation, which presents a remarkable opportunity to dramatically reduce the cost of identity management on a governmental level through the integration and interoperability of databases across various agencies and departments.”

However, there are currently challenges with digital ID uptake in Nigeria with users having limited incentives for uptake as most citizens find enough coverage in their functional IDs.

The firm added, “Nigeria has mandated that SIM cards be linked to NINs in order to continue mobile phone service, and that BVNs be linked to NINs in order to maintain a bank account.

“Enforcement, however, has been lenient. The enrolment process is perceived by some to be too lengthy, and entry points are not streamlined. Current entry points into the digital ID system do not yet follow a streamlined identification lifecycle that connects the civil registry to the NIN

“Enrolment centres are concentrated in city centres, which poses a challenge to reaching the country’s 48 per cent rural and peri-urban population. More men than women are enrolled in digital ID in most areas of Nigeria. Gendered cultural norms and divisions in labour, access to funds, and access to transport are likely play a role in this discrepancy.

“Lack of interoperability across legacy functional IDs currently prevents enrolment with a user’s functional ID of choice or convenience from also populating the NIDB. Attempting to retroactively harmonise datasets—as the NIMC is presently trying to do—raises concerns about data integrity.

“Neither telecoms nor voter data is AML compliant, as the identities they issue are not unique and can be easily duplicated across multiple locales. Similarly, one can register multiple SIM cards using various combinations of ID data like address or marital status.”

 

 

 

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E-Business

Galaxy Backbone Celebrates the Federal Government’s Paperless Civil Service Milestone

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Galaxy Backbone (GBB) aligns with and celebrates the successful announcement by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation on the achievement of a Paperless Civil Service, a significant milestone in Nigeria’s public sector reform and digital transformation agenda.

The milestone was formally highlighted at a press briefing led by the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, who commended Galaxy Backbone for its sustained support and contribution throughout the implementation of the programme.

GBB has played a critical role in enabling this transition by providing secure, scalable, and shared digital infrastructure that supports the digitisation of government processes across Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs). Through the 1Government Cloud, MDAs have been empowered to migrate from paper-based workflows to digital platforms, improving efficiency, collaboration, data security, and service delivery across the Federal Civil Service.

In addition, GovMail, GBB’s secure government email platform, has strengthened official communication, enhanced records management, and reinforced cybersecurity standards—key pillars in sustaining a paperless operating environment.

Galaxy Backbone acknowledges the collective efforts of the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Permanent Secretaries, Directors of ICT, consultants, partners, and dedicated public servants whose commitment and collaboration ensured the smooth delivery of this initiative.

The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Galaxy Backbone, Prof. Ibrahim Adeyanju, was represented at the press briefing by Akintayo Bamisaye, Acting Group Head, Research, Digital Innovation and Skills Department (RDIS).

GBB describes the achievement as a strong close to 2025 and reaffirms its commitment to supporting the Federal Government in building a modern, efficient, and digitally enabled public service.


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Jumia CEO says Black Friday Signals Nigeria’s E-Commerce Maturity

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At the close of 2025, Temidayo Ojo, the CEO of Jumia Nigeria, reflected on a year-end shopping season that points to the growing maturity of the country’s e-commerce market. “Black Friday is no longer a single, short-lived spike in activity,” he said.

“It has become a familiar, anticipated moment in the retail calendar, where consumers shop deliberately and with confidence.”

Preliminary KPIs for the two months ended November 30, 2025, show strong year-on-year growth in both orders and Gross Merchandise Value (GMV), with GMV growth outpacing order growth. This indicates that customers are placing fuller, more considered baskets rather than shopping in fragmented transactions. Nigeria ranked among Jumia Group’s better-performing markets, with engagement remaining steady throughout the Black Friday period rather than spiking briefly and tapering off.

A key factor behind this performance is the growing familiarity of consumers with online shopping. Customers are increasingly leveraging platform features such as saved carts, brand stores, and price comparison tools to plan purchases in advance. This trend suggests that digital commerce is becoming embedded in everyday habits rather than being viewed as a one-off event.

Ojo also highlighted the role of Jumia’s JForce network in connecting digital commerce to local communities. “Our agents are critical to ensuring that customers across Nigeria, including secondary cities and smaller communities, have access to variety, consistent pricing, and reliable delivery,” he said. “During peak periods like Black Friday, JForce agents can respond faster, serve more customers efficiently, and build stronger local relationships. This isn’t just a distribution channel—it’s a pathway to sustainable income and inclusion.”

Reflecting on the overall performance, the CEO concluded: “What we’re seeing this year-end is steady engagement across categories, stronger consumer confidence, and partners like our JForce agents benefiting from increased activity.

“It confirms that Nigeria’s e-commerce ecosystem is maturing, growing in a more structured and resilient way. As the December Holiday Sale continues, we expect these patterns of familiarity, trust, and participation to sustain momentum and drive both commerce and community impact across the country.”


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Galaxy Backbone Tops FG’s Website Performance Ranking

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Galaxy Backbone Limited (GBB) has been ranked first overall in the 2025 Federal Government Website Performance Scorecard.

Galaxy Backbone Tops FG's Website Performance Ranking

This is a landmark achievement for Nigeria’s digital economy.

The ranking, conducted by the Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR), is the definitive benchmark for digital excellence and transparency across all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).

Professor Ibrahim Adepoju Adeyanju, managing director and CEO of Galaxy Backbone, received the award during a ceremony in Abuja.

He described the feat as a validation of the agency’s“Nigeria First”data sovereignty strategy and its relentless pursuit of service excellence.

This recognition comes as the Federal Government intensifies its push to achieve a fully paperless civil service by December 31, 2025.

GBB has been the primary architect of this transition through its 1Gov Enterprise Content Management (ECM) platform, which now hosts the operations of almost all federal MDAs.

The award adds to a growing list of accolades for Galaxy Backbone in 2025, following its recent win of the “International Standard Excellence Award for Best IT Service Provider.”

As the central hub for government shared services, GBB’s performance serves as a blueprint for other agencies currently undergoing digital transformation.

With its expanded fiber-optic backbone now covering over 13 states and its secure cloud solutions, Galaxy Backbone remains the cornerstone of Nigeria’s vision to become a leading digital nation by the end of the decade.

 


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