July 10, (THEWILL) – The Nigeria Digital Identification for Development (ID4D) project has said that it concluded plans to support the National Population Commission (NPC) towards digitising its civil registration processes.
ID4D’s Project Coordinator, Musa Odole Solomon, disclosed this during a courtesy visit to the Chairman of the National Population Commission, Alhaji Isa Kwarra, at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja.
Solomon described the National Population Commission a critical partner in the ID4D project implementation, assuring the Commission of the project’s support.
He said, “Nigeria Digital ID4D is a Nigerian project, jointly funded by the World Bank, European Investment Bank and the French Development Agency. The Project Development Objective is to increase the number of persons with a National Identity Number (NIN), issued by a robust and inclusive foundational identity system that facilitates their access to services.
“The project is designed, following an Ecosystem model and not limited to any single organisation. It therefore involves different agencies of government, the private sector and civil society. The project had since identified the National Population Commission as an important ecosystem partner, hence this visit.”
Continuing, Solomon explained that the Nigeria Digital ID4D project would finance technical assistance to create the enabling legal and regulatory environment for the development of a digital civil register and to strengthen its role in the country’s foundational ID ecosystem, including the digitisation of existing birth registration processes.
On training, he said, “The project has made adequate provisions for financing institutional capacity development, aimed at building trust and credibility within the country’s ID ecosystem.
“We are determined to invest in the Civil Registry system to reinforce the foundational ID ecosystem by delivering National Identity Numbers at birth, as part of the birth registration process through links with the digitised Civil Register. We therefore seek your collaboration and active participation in the implementation process,’’ he said.
Responding, the Chairman, National Population Commission, Alhaji Nasir Isa Kwarra, stated that the Commission is a willing partner in the country’s Identity project, even as he pledged the support and cooperation of the Commission to the Nigeria ID4D project.”
Kwarra expressed delight at the project’s readiness to support the digitization of the civil register, as well as capacity development, describing them as critical needs of the commission.
“We are trying to modernise our civil registration systems. We register births and deaths. We are supposed to be registering marriages and divorce, etc. Modernising and digitising our processes is very important and that is where you come in. We are willing to partner with you 100 per cent. We are also involved in national identity coverage. I assure you of our total support and collaboration,” he said.
Speaking on the planned National Census, Kwarra said the NPC was planning to conduct the first Digital Census in Nigeria.
Adding her voice, the Acting Director-General of the Commission, Ugoeze Patience Mbagwu lauded the ID4D delegation for the efforts, reiterating the Commission’s readiness to partner the project.
Highlights of the meeting were exchange of souvenirs and gift items, among others. In attendance at the meeting were the Commission’s Federal Commissioners from different states of the federation, while the ID4D delegation was made up of top members of the management team.
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