Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, has said Nigeria’s expanding digital identity infrastructure is strengthening the country’s position in Africa’s digital economy by providing a trusted foundation for banking, telecommunications, social protection and cross-border trade.
Akume also described the progress recorded by the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) as one of the clearest delivery stories of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, pledging the Federal Government’s full backing for ongoing identity reforms.
The SGF spoke on Wednesday at the National Day of Identity 2026, themed: ‘Nigeria’s Digital Public Ecosystem: Powering Africa’s Digital Economy.’
According to a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Yomi Odunuga, Akume said Nigeria’s growing digital public ecosystem has implications beyond the country, as trusted identity infrastructure could help deepen economic integration and facilitate trade across Africa.
He said banks, financial technology companies and cross-border traders increasingly depend on verified digital identities to provide services and access markets, including opportunities created by the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
‘As the officer charged with coordinating government business across MDAs, I have watched this work closely. The National Identity Management Commission is one of this administration’s clearest delivery stories.
‘The progress is real. Enrolment continues to rise. Integration with banking, telecommunications and social protection is deepening. The Commission is meeting the quiet, daily discipline this work requires. That is the kind of delivery this administration was elected to provide’, Akume said.
Akume said the enactment of the National Identity Management Commission Act, 2026, had given the country’s identity management system a stronger legal foundation, strengthened data protection and established NIMC as Nigeria’s root certification authority for identity.
He noted that innovations introduced ahead of the new legislation, including NINAuth and self-service data modification, had already made it easier for Nigerians to verify their identities and manage their personal records.
The SGF recalled his engagement with the Director-General of NIMC, Engr. Abisoye Coker-Odusote, following the passage of the Act, saying the interaction strengthened his confidence in the direction of the Commission and the commitment of its leadership and workforce.
Akume pledged the support of his office for the Commission, stressing that building a reliable national identity system was too important to be left to NIMC alone and required coordinated action across government.
‘This Commission has my backing, and the backing of the office I represent. Wherever closer coordination is needed, and wherever obstacles must be cleared from this Commission’s path, my office stands ready.
‘This project is too important to rest on one agency. It requires the full weight of government’, he said.
Akume also commended President Tinubu for assenting to the NIMC Act, 2026, saying the legislation had provided the modern legal framework needed to sustain the reforms and deepen Nigeria’s digital identity architecture.
He expressed confidence that the reforms would continue to yield measurable results, arguing that every improvement in the country’s identity infrastructure would strengthen Nigeria’s position in the digital economy while enhancing Africa’s participation in the global digital marketplace.
The SGF said the combination of rising enrolment, deeper integration of identity services across critical sectors and a stronger legal framework had positioned digital identity as an important component of the administration’s wider economic and governance reforms.