Nigeria to receive one of the world’s most powerful biometric systems from IDEMIA Smart Identity

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IDEMIA Smart Identity (www.IDEMIA.com) has renewed its commitment to Nigeria’s National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) by implementing an upgrade of the entire biometric identification system, which will accommodate 250 million records. This project, supported by the World Bank through its ID4D initiative, will ensure that each citizen’s identity in the civil database remains unique.

On February 28, 2024, IDEMIA Smart Identity and NIMC agreed to renew their long-standing collaboration and upgrade NIMC’s biometric system to become the most advanced biometric system in the world, comparable only with Aadhaar in India. The powerful biometric matching system will be able to handle 1 million 1:1 and 1:N identity verification searches per day.

The initial system was designed to support 100 million records but has already reached around 90 million records and requires this extension to address the whole Nigerian population. In context, NIMC is already positioned to achieve the sustainable development goals target set for 2030 by the United Nations, which calls for a legal identity for all by the year 2030.*

In addition, the system upgrade is going to allow NIMC to be compliant with OSIA, an open standard set of interfaces (APIs) that enables seamless connectivity between all components of the identity management ecosystem.

“We are very proud to continue our long-standing collaboration with NIMC for the greater good of Nigeria’s growing population. The new powerful system is future-proof and will ensure that all Nigerians have access to a secured, trusted identity, enabling them to exercise their rights and responsibilities as a citizen. Moreover, this contract, in the most populous country in Africa, demonstrates IDEMIA's capability to deploy its technologies on a very large scale,” explains Olivier Charlanes, Senior Vice President of Middle East and Africa at IDEMIA Smart Identity.

“Taking this next step in the enhancement of our system with IDEMIA Smart Identity was a natural choice for us. We wanted to ensure that we deliver the best-in-class solution to our fellow Nigerians, and the pure power of the biometric matching we will receive ensures that the solution is future-proof for our growing population,” explains Engr. Abisoye Coker-Odusote, CEO, National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) and Chairman of the OSIA Advisory Committee.

*United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 16.9: “By 2030, provide legal identity for all, including birth registration.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of IDEMIA Smart Identity.

Press contacts:
Sandra Valerii
sandra.valerii@idemia.com
Press office
idemia@havas.com

About IDEMIA Group:
IDEMIA Group unlocks simpler and safer ways to pay, connect, access, identify, travel, and protect public places. With its long-standing expertise in biometrics and cryptography, IDEMIA develops technologies of excellence with an impactful, ethical, and socially responsible approach. Every day, IDEMIA secures billions of interactions in the physical and digital worlds. IDEMIA Group brings together three market-leading businesses that enable mission-critical solutions:

• IDEMIA Secure Transactions is the leading technology provider who unlocks safer and easier ways to pay and connect.
• IDEMIA Public Security is a leading global provider of biometric solutions that unlock convenient and secure travel, access, and protection.
• IDEMIA Smart Identity leverages the power of cryptographic and biometric technologies to unlock a single trusted identity for all.

With a global team of nearly 15,000 employees, IDEMIA Group is trusted by over 600 governmental organizations and more than 2,400 enterprises in over 180 countries.

For more information, visit www.IDEMIA.com and follow @IDEMIAGroup on X.