The Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission, professor Umar Danbatta has said the digital economy, if properly harnessed could unlock 50 to 70 percent of Nigeria’s full economic potential.
Danbatta spoke as chief host at the Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) webinar- a conference focusing on Citizens Identity Management in a Digital Economy.
Quoting a 2019 report by Mckinsey Global Institute Report Danbatta said “it is projected that in emerging economies such as Nigeria, digital Identity alone could unlock 50 to 70 percent of the countries full economic potential, assuming adoption rates of about 70 percent.
The report, he said also projects that Nigeria along with other emerging countries could unlock economic value equivalent to between 3 and 13 percent of GDP by 2030 from the implementation of digital identity programs.
According to Danbatta, National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (2020 – 2030) launched in December 2019, was developed to reposition the Nigerian Economy in order to unlock the many opportunities that digital technologies provide towards the diversification of the Nigerian economy and to transform Nigeria into a leading global digital economy.
While Mobile devices and adequate digital infrastructure, such as broadband deployment play an important role in the development of any digital economy, Danbatta added that there is no gainsaying that the development of a credible national identity database is crucial to the actualization of a robust digital economy.
Danbatta noted that robust Identity Management System with quality data is key for every emerging economy and Nigeria must therefore leverage on its digital identity as a reliable tool for socio economic development and accelerated growth of its digital economy.
It is on this premise that the Federal Government of Nigeria has prioritized the need to have a single national identity system for all citizens, in order to carry out its mandate in social and economic development, law enforcement, intelligence and political development, he said.
According to him the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) tasked with the mandate to establish the National Identity Database in Nigeria by enrolling and issuing National Identity Numbers (NIN) to citizens has registered over 63 million citizens as at August, 2021 representing a meagre 29.7% of the Nigerian Population.
Danbatta said MNOs have enrolled over 1,500 NIN with over 1 million citizens enrolled directly at MNO service centres as at date.
He added that 37% of NIN enrolments recorded during the eight years since NIN enrolment commenced was accomplished by leveraging the Telecommunications Industry. Since commencement of the NIN policy in the Telecommunications Industry, we have witnessed tremendous growth in NIN enrolment from 40 million in December 2020 to over 63 million as at August 2021 (i.e. 23 million citizens enrolled in the past 9 months).
Although NIN penetration currently stands at 29.7% of the population, with the deployment of the Android Enrolment solution by NIMC and a rapid growth of MNO NIN enrolment centres will translate to exponential growth in NIN enrolments, Danbatta assured.
