Echoes from the 2013 World
Economic Forum on Africa indicates that Nigeria may have award contract for the
provision of 13 million MasterCard-branded National
Identity Smart Cards with electronic payment
capability.
This was announced
Wednesday by the Nigeria’s National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) and MasterCard in
South Africa, just as officials of MasterCard
confirmed to ITRealms that the proposed
National Identity SmartCard is the Card Scheme under the recently deployed
National Identity Management System (NIMS).
Also, ITRealms gathered from
proponents including Other issuing banks will include United Bank for Africa,
Union Bank, Zenith, Skye Bank, Unity Bank, Stanbic and First Bank; that the 13
Million Cards would be the first of its kind and assumed to be the largest card
rollout on the continent of Africa; a formal electronic payment solution in a
country and the broadest financial inclusion initiative of its kind on the
African continent.
ITRealms was informed that in its first
phase, Nigerians 16 years and above as well as all residents in the country for
more than two years, would get the new
multipurpose identity card which has 13 applications including MasterCard’s
prepaid payment technology that will provide cardholders with the safety,
convenience and reliability of electronic payments.
This, the proponent said,
would have a significant and positive impact on the lives of Nigerians who have
not previously had access to financial services.
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