Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, the Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), has revealed that the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificates in Nigeria will now be generated and validated using blockchain technology.
.@KashifuInuwa, Director General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), delivered a Keynote Address at the Policy Dialogue for the Implementation of the National Blockchains themed: "Driving Sustainable Economic Growth and Development through the Adoption of… pic.twitter.com/UattGELAPS
— NITDA Nigeria (@NITDANigeria) August 9, 2023
This announcement was made during the Stakeholders’ Policy Dialogue concerning the implementation of the National Blockchain Policy. The event was organized by NITDA in partnership with the Stakeholders in Blockchain Association of Nigeria (SiBAN).
According to the NITDA chief, blockchain represents a huge economic opportunity, and one of the practical ways to explore the numerous possibilities of blockchain technology is its deployment in the issuance of certificates.
“The present administration has a strong interest in blockchain. I believe blockchain, with the ability to add $1.7 trillion to the global GDP, will be a good technology for Nigeria to leverage. And if we position ourselves well based on the BWC report, Nigeria can add about $40 billion to its GDP by 2030.”
The NITDA chief indicated that the NYSC certificate is one area that has experienced a lot of forgery in Nigeria.
“So the DG came to our office. He sought our help and we have agreed to help them develop that blockchain certificate authentication so that all NYSC certificates will be on the blockchain where people can check and verify,” he said.
Furthermore, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi mentioned that there are intentions to provide blockchain-based certificates to individuals who have completed training programs under NITDA while mentioning that the Central Bank of Nigeria is open to work with ‘the ecosystem.’
“That will be what will drive adoption in other sectors and industry, then from there we can look at other areas. The Central Bank of Nigeria is ready to work with the ecosystem.”
A notable speaker at the event was Obinna Iwuno, the President of SiBAN who expressed optimism about the sector’s future:
The takeaway from this event is that the government has seen a bigger picture of our industry and what it can become. So they are now getting a better and wider perspective and are ready to start working closely with us even more than they are doing now to make sure that our industry grows and gives Nigeria the potential it has.”
Follow us on Twitter for the latest posts and updates
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
