One of the nation’s
leading banking institution, Access Bank plc has been named as the leading
issuing banks for the 13million MasterCard-branded National
Identity Smart Cards as a pilot programme.
Other issuing banks will
include United Bank for Africa, Union Bank, Zenith, Skye Bank, Unity Bank,
Stanbic and First Bank, while the Unified Payment Services Limited (Unified
Payments) will act as the payment processor.
The duo of Nigerian
National Identity Management Commission (NIMC)
and MasterCard made this known to DigitalSENSE Business News, Wednesday,
during the World Economic Forum on Africa, stating that the National
Identity Smart Cards will come with electronic
payment capability and comes handy under the recently deployed National
Identity Management System (NIMS).
The 13million cards is assumed the largest card rollout on the
continent of Africa; a formal electronic payment solution in a country and the
broadest financial inclusion initiative of its kind.
DigitalSENSE Business News was
informed that in its first phase, Nigerians 16 years and above as well as all
residents in the country for more than two years, would get the new multipurpose identity card which has 13
applications including MasterCard’s prepaid payment technology that will
provide cardholders with the safety, convenience and reliability of electronic
payments.
This, the proponent said,
would have a significant and positive impact on the lives of Nigerians who have
not previously had access to financial services.
In overt endorsement, the coordinating minister of the economy in
Nigeria and Minister of Finance Dr. NgoziOkonjo-Iweala,
who attended the announcement, said the importance of the scheme is to move Nigeria
to an electronic platform.
“This programme is good practice for us to
bring all the citizens on a common platform for interacting with the various
government agencies and for transacting electronically. We will implement this
initiative in a collaborative manner between the public and private sectors, to
achieve its full potential of inclusive citizenship and more effective
governance,” she said.
Commenting on this, President,
Middle East and Africa, MasterCard, Michael Miebach, described the announcement
as the first phase of an unprecedented project in terms of scale and scope for
Nigeria.
“MasterCard has been a
firm supporter of the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) Cashless Policy as we share a
vision of a world beyond cash. From the program’s inception, we have
provided the Federal Government of Nigeria with global insights and best
practices on how electronic payments can enable economic growth and create a
more financially inclusive economy” he said.
Equally speaking, Director
General, National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Chris Onyemenam, said they
have chosen MasterCard to be the payment technology provider for the initial
rollout of the National Identity Smart Card project because the company has
shown a commitment to furthering financial inclusion through the reduction of
cash in the Nigerian economy.
“MasterCard has pioneered
large scale card schemes that combine biometric functionality with electronic
payments and we want to capitalize on their experience in this field to make
our program rollout a sustainable success for the country and the continent,”
Onyemenam said.
“Access Bank’s involvement
in this project is testament to our ongoing efforts to expand financial
inclusion in Nigeria,” said Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, CEO of Access Bank. “The
new identity card will revolutionize the Nigerian economic landscape, breaking
down one of the most significant barriers to financial inclusion – proof of
identity, while simultaneously providing Nigerians with a world class payment
solution”.
For Agada Apochi, the Managing Director
and CEO, Unified Payments, his company is the foremost transaction processor
and pioneer of EMV processing and acquiring in Nigeria, owned by leading
Nigerian banks.
“We will use our expertise and
experience to guarantee the success of the project and ensure that the data of
Nigerians are protected. We look forward to working with other partners in
delivering value to all stakeholders,” he assured.
The new National Identity Smart Card is expected to incorporate
the unique National Identification Numbers (NIN) of duly registered persons in Nigeria,
while the enrollment process would involve the recording of an individual’s
demographic data and biometric data; capturing of 10 fingerprints, facial
picture and digital signature that are used to authenticate the cardholder and
eliminate fraud and embezzlement.
Just as it will provide the much needed
database platform for several other value propositions of the NIMC including
identity authentication and verification.
Remmy Nweke
... Making SENSE of digital revolution!
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