Nigeria national agency to authenticate government certificates using blockchain
The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) of Nigeria is to use blockchain technology to issue National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificates to combat forgery.
The agency’s director general Yusuf Kashafu disclosed this at a policy dialogue on implementing a national blockchain.
Kashafu revealed that his agency had contacted the director general of NYSC, Yusha’u Ahmed, to discuss the development of this blockchain-based system for authenticating certificates.
The NYSC certificate is one of the most sought-after certifications in the African country, as several employers, including government agencies, usually demand it as an employment criterion. NYSC is a mandatory one-year program for young university graduates in Nigeria.
The NITDA director general believes blockchain technology can eliminate problems of fraud and forgery that have plagued certificate issuance. He said:
“By leveraging blockchain’s power, we aim to establish a secure, tamper-proof system that will enable individuals, institutions, and employers to easily verify the authenticity of NYSC certificates.”
Meanwhile, the recent development aligns with the country’s positive posture toward adopting blockchain technology. The Nigerian government recently approved a National Policy on Blockchain, while the SEC plans to allow the tokenization of assets.
Other countries adopting blockchain technology solutions.
Several countries are increasingly adopting blockchain technology to verify credentials and certificates. Due to the immutability and transparent nature of the technology, many experts have pushed for its use in storing and verifying public information.
An Indian startup Greenlakes recently launched a blockchain solution allowing users to get trusted and verified information about their land. The technology is already being used for real estate registration in the Indian state of Karnataka.
Last year, several countries, including Colombia, planned to use blockchain technology to record land titles in partnership with Ripple Labs.
