While Nigeria is widely recognized as the leading country in Africa for consumer adoption of cryptocurrency, a quieter but equally significant movement is underway among enterprises and government institutions.
Beyond retail enthusiasm, the country is witnessing growing interest from public and private sector players looking to leverage blockchain technology.
According to a recent report by Hashed Emergent VC, several publicly funded and government-backed institutions have initiated efforts to incorporate blockchain into their operational frameworks – though many of these attempts have yielded limited results so far.
🇳🇬REPORT | Nigeria’s Web3 Infrastructure Startups Dominated 2024 Nigeria Web3 Funding By Raising $11 Million Out of $20 Million
Much of this was fueled by grants from Layer 1 and Layer 2shttps://t.co/pkCSrFrHsg @HashedEM @QuidaxGlobal @Web3Bridge @InfusionLawyers @ethereum pic.twitter.com/4Ji7lN3srZ
— BitKE (@BitcoinKE) April 15, 2025
Nonetheless, there is also a trend of collaboration between public entities and private tech innovators aimed at building blockchain-powered solutions that enhance service delivery and improve user experiences.
In this article, we take a look at the leading institutions that are adopting blockchain in Nigeria.
1.) Anambra State Government
The Anambra State Housing Development Corporation (ASHDC) is said to be partnering with Sytemap, a product by blockchain startup HouseAfrica, for land registry digitization and property title verifications.
Nigerian 🇳🇬 Blockchain Property Startup, House Africa, Secures $400,000 in Funding
“Close to 95 per cent of lands do not have verifiable titles which exposes genuine retail investors to fraud. Our solution enables buyers to make informed decisions when buying lands,” said House…
— BitKE (@BitcoinKE) April 6, 2023
The real estate and property management platform is also used by the corporation to manage its properties and projects. Sytemap is used for listing and managing properties, tracking projects, and providing information about the corporation’s activities.
ASHDC also uses Sytemap to promote its services and initiatives, such as the ongoing construction of Greenvalley Estate’s internal road.
2.) Lagos State Government
In partnership with the Ministry of Information, Science and Technology, Lagos government is said to be tokenizing real estate infrastructure, natural resources and renewable energy.
#RWA TOKENIZATION | Lagos State in Nigeria Plans to Tokenize Real Estate to Raise More Revenue – https://t.co/wbRrz9VaHi
— KaneYip.eth (@YipKane) August 16, 2024
Government officials see real estate tokenization as a critical strategy for increasing Lagos State’s internally generated revenue. By making property transactions more transparent and efficient, the government aims to attract more investors and generate additional revenue from property taxes and transaction fees.
3.) Cross River State Government
In a partnership with OmniIndex and FutureX education, Cross River is adopting blockchain technology to manage and secure student data with encrypted storage and analytics.
This project aims to ensure the complete data security and privacy of students through blockchain storage and fully encrypted analytics. The agreement ensures that all educational institutions in the state must be registered on the new platform which also allows schools to retain ownership of their data and control data sharing.
4.) Plateau State Government
This state has collaborated with the Algorand Foundation to pilot blockchain solutions in public services, including procurement and healthcare.
As we covered in 2024, the government entered a partnership with the non-profit Algorand Foundation, to drive innovation and explore practical applications for blockchain technology within the region.
🇳🇬PARTNERSHIP | Plateau State in Nigeria Enters Partnership with Algorand to Explore Blockchain Use Cases
According to the Algorand Foundation, it has invested significantly in Nigeria through software developer education across the country since 2021, with more than 500… pic.twitter.com/80pp6Z99Jl
— BitKE (@BitcoinKE) February 21, 2024
The collaboration with Algorand is expected to enhance efficiency, transparency, and economic opportunities for the residents of Plateau State. The pilot programs will encompass various sectors to demonstrate the potential benefits of blockchain technology across diverse areas.
5.) Taraba State Government
Following a successful event in August 2024, the Taraba State Government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Algorand Foundation to explore blockchain applications in identity management, healthcare, agriculture, transport, and land registries.
This partnership includes initiatives like training programs and hackathons to foster blockchain awareness and cultivate a new generation of developers. The goal is to empower the state’s youthful population with blockchain technology and address issues like financial inclusion, particularly in rural areas.
Besides the efforts by the state governments, critical federal government institutions including the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) and the Central Bank of Nigeria are implementing blockchain in various applications related to their operations:
- The Central Bank of Nigeria took the lead in Africa by introducing a Central Bank Digital Currency called eNaira.
[WATCH] The Nigerian 🇳🇬 eNaira Central Bank Digital Currency – The First CBDC in Africa – Goes Live: https://t.co/aD1FKpptps #eNaira @cenbank
— BitKE (@BitcoinKE) October 26, 2021
- According to the report by Hashed Emergent, the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) leverages blockchain’s immutability for increased security and transparency in identity verification process. It uses a private blockchain which acts as a failover database and secure storage of verification transaction records.
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- Nigeria Institute of Social and Economic Research (NISER) has partnered with Soramitsu to expand Nigeria’s blockchain research capacity.
🇳🇬PARTNERSHIP | Award-Winning Global Tech Company, Soramitsu, Partners with Nigerian Public Policy Think Tank, NISER, to Deepen Capacity and Implement Innovative Projects Using Blockchain
In a press release to BitKE, Soramitsu said the collaboration seeks to establish a… pic.twitter.com/zbRNOJ2EQx
— BitKE (@BitcoinKE) September 17, 2024
- NIBBS, Nigeria’s central payment switch has partnered with Zone, a Nigeria Layer 1 blockchain to record point of sale (POS) transactions for 50 million users.
🇳🇬 BANKING | The Nigerian Inter-Bank Settlement Scheme (NIBSS) Adopts Zone’s Point-of-Sale Blockchain System to Process Transactions
Zone, the only blockchain financial institutions licensed to provide switching and processing services in Nigeria, runs a layer 1 blockchain… pic.twitter.com/00ey2Aiu9d
— BitKE (@BitcoinKE) August 22, 2024
- Convexity Technologies has previously worked with the Central Bank to expand the utility of the eNaira digital currency. The recent launch of the Naira-pegged stablecoin, cNGN, in partnership with other players is a further expansion of that.
From a crypto standpoint, cNGN is a much-needed local currency on-chain. It opens the door to decentralized trading, liquidity pools, and lending protocols—all without relying on USD-pegged stablecoins like USDT or USDC.
But it’s not just for DeFi degens.
Freelancers can… pic.twitter.com/i650Vx2FHu
— cNGN Stablecoin (@cngn_co) April 14, 2025
- The Nigeria Mortgage Refinance Company (NMRC) also partnered with blockchain-based land and property registry, House Africa, in 2020 to scale such registries and enhance efficiency for the government-affiliated entity.
AUHF member the Nigeria Mortgage Refinance Company Partners with House Africa to Deploy a Blockchain-based Digital Land Titling System https://t.co/qJ4OFzKV4T via @Bitcoin KE
— AUHF (@AUHF_Housing) August 25, 2020
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