Digital identity is emerging as a critical foundation for Nigeria’s economic transformation, with financial technology company eTranzact International Plc stressing the need for secure and trusted identity infrastructure to support digital finance, public services and financial inclusion.
The company made the submission in Abuja at the 2026 International Identity Day celebration held at the State House Banquet Hall, where government officials, technology firms, identity solution providers and private-sector stakeholders examined the role of digital public infrastructure in powering Nigeria’s digital economy.
The event, themed “Nigeria’s Digital Public Ecosystem Powering Africa’s Digital Economy,” highlighted the expanding role of digital identity beyond the conventional function of establishing an individual’s identity.
With banking, payments, telecommunications, government interventions, credit and other essential services increasingly moving online, stakeholders noted that reliable identity verification has become fundamental to participation in the digital economy.
A robust identity ecosystem, they said, could enable citizens to access financial services, government programmes and other digital platforms more easily, while giving institutions stronger tools for verification, regulatory compliance and the prevention of identity-related fraud.
It could also contribute to financial inclusion by helping more Nigerians establish verifiable identities required to access bank accounts, digital payment systems, credit facilities and other formal financial services.
Against this backdrop, eTranzact, which works with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Nigeria’s digital public infrastructure.
The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of eTranzact, Niyi Toluwalope, represented by the company’s Executive Director, Government Relations and Strategic Initiatives, Abubakar Achimugu, said the company’s participation reflected its commitment to public-sector partnerships and technology solutions capable of advancing Nigeria’s digital transformation.
The company’s position places digital identity at the centre of wider discussions on the infrastructure required to make Nigeria’s digital economy function securely and efficiently at scale.
Stakeholders observed that weak or fragmented identity verification systems can create challenges involving fraud, duplication, exclusion and difficulties in determining the eligibility of users and beneficiaries.
They noted that a secure, interoperable and accessible identity system, by contrast, could provide a common foundation for financial institutions, government agencies and technology companies to develop and deliver digital services.
Consequently, the focus is shifting from simply issuing identity credentials to ensuring that those credentials can securely and efficiently connect citizens with the wider digital ecosystem.
Participants at the Abuja event also emphasised stronger collaboration between government and private-sector technology providers in building an identity architecture capable of supporting Nigeria’s rapidly expanding digital economy.
For fintech companies such as eTranzact, the development has direct implications for digital payments and financial services, where reliable customer identification is essential to secure transactions and regulatory compliance.
For government, an effective digital identity architecture could support more efficient delivery of public services and social interventions. For citizens, it could increasingly determine their ability to participate in an economy where more transactions and essential services are delivered digitally.
Stakeholders, however, stressed the need to ensure that stronger identity and security requirements do not inadvertently create new barriers for underserved populations.
They identified accessibility, interoperability, security and inclusion as key considerations in expanding Nigeria’s digital public infrastructure.
The Abuja discussions therefore underscored a broader point: Nigeria’s digital transformation will depend on more than applications, payment platforms and other visible technologies.
Underlying the digital economy must be trusted identity infrastructure capable of establishing secure connections between citizens, businesses and government.
As Nigeria seeks to deepen its digital transformation and strengthen its position in Africa’s technology economy, eTranzact maintained that sustained public-private collaboration will be essential to developing the secure, interoperable and inclusive digital ecosystem required to support the country’s ambitions.
