The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has entered strategic discussions with Trust Stamp, a NASDAQ-listed global provider of AI-powered identity services, to strengthen Nigeria’s digital trust framework and cybersecurity ecosystem.
The recent meeting chaired by Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, NITDA director general aimed to align Trust Stamp’s verification technologies with Nigeria’s digital transformation agenda and the agency’s strategic priorities for building a secure, innovation-driven economy.
Digital Trust as Economic Infrastructure
Inuwa emphasized that a secure digital environment is a prerequisite for national development, noting that cybersecurity frameworks are essential for driving investment and accelerating the adoption of digital services across sectors.
“Trust remains a critical foundation for the growth of the digital economy. Secure systems and strong cybersecurity frameworks are essential for driving innovation, economic growth, and national development,” Inuwa stated.
He further clarified NITDA’s role as a forward-looking regulator, focusing on policies that support an enabling environment for innovation rather than promoting specific technologies.
Privacy-Preserving Biometrics and Inclusion
Jonathan Pasha, vice president of Trust Stamp, highlighted the company’s ongoing footprint in Nigeria, which includes collaborating with local telecommunications providers to enhance SIM swap prevention and fraud detection.
Key technical highlights from Trust Stamp’s pitch included:
Biometric Tokenization: Technology that converts biometric data into secure, privacy-preserving representations, allowing for verification without exposing sensitive personal information.
Asset Tokenization: Support for secure verification, fraud prevention, and the tokenization of real-world assets.
Financial Inclusion: Systems designed to function in low-connectivity environments and on low-specification devices to ensure broader access to digital services.
Strategic Outlook
The Director General reaffirmed Nigeria’s openness to private sector investments that strengthen digital infrastructure.
He stressed that sustainable development is best driven by private participation under a supportive regulatory umbrella.
Both parties expressed a commitment to advancing technical-level discussions to identify specific areas where Trust Stamp’s global experience can be integrated into Nigeria’s digital ecosystem.
Techeconomy Analysis: The engagement with a NASDAQ-listed entity like Trust Stamp signals NITDA’s intent to bring global best practices in identity security to the local market.
As Nigeria scales its digital economy, addressing identity fraud and SIM-related crimes remains a top priority for both regulators and financial institutions.
