Nigeria Unveils Initiative To Verify Authentic E-commerce Platforms

The Federal Government has unveiled the National Digital Trustmark Initiative, a new scheme designed to verify and certify authentic e-commerce websites and platforms in Nigeria.

The Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa, unveiled the initiative in Abuja on Thursday.

He said it was aimed to boost public confidence in e-commerce, protect consumers from fraud, and enhance Nigeria’s global digital reputation.

According to him, the Trustmark will serve as a verifiable seal of authenticity for legitimate e-commerce platforms, ensuring Nigerians can transact safely and securely in the digital space.

The NITDA boss noted that digital economy had been Nigeria’s fastest-growing sector for almost five years, surpassing oil and gas and other key sectors in its contribution to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

“The digital economy has already bypassed the oil and gas sector in terms of contribution to our GDP. Today, the services sector contributes over 58% to Nigeria’s GDP, and almost all these services are powered by digital technology,” he said.

He also noted that while digitisation had created vast opportunities, it had also brought challenges such as cyber fraud, identity theft, and fake online platforms that erode public trust and discourage online transactions.

“Technology is a double-edged sword. As good actors use it to enhance productivity and efficiency, bad actors exploit it to cause harm.

“Many people are discouraged from buying and selling online due to lack of trust and confidence. This also affects our international reputation, as Nigeria is often unfairly stigmatised as a hub for cybercrime,” he added.

Inuwa explained that the Digital Trustmark was part of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda to promote digital inclusion, protect consumers, and strengthen trust in e-commerce economy.

The initiative which was co-created by NITDA and the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), is supported by GIZ, the German international development agency in Nigeria.

Under the new framework, e-commerce platforms will display the Trustmark seal on their websites and platforms
The seal, which can be scanned or clicked for verification, will confirm that the platform is genuine, legally registered, and trusted to deliver value for money in quality goods and services online.

The verification process, he said, would include manual and automated checks such as corporate registration (CAC), Know Your Customer (KYC) documentation, and address validation. Once approved, the business will be issued a Trustmark certificate and a digital badge for display on its platform.

“The seal will make it easy for citizens to distinguish between reliable and unreliable e-commerce websites and platforms. With the Trustmark, people can easily identify verified platforms and transact safely,” he said.

The project, supported by GIZ, has NACCIMA and NITDA, among others, as major stakeholders.

The implementation phase of the Trustmark will feature a portal and mobile app for managing certification lifecycles, issuance, validation, revocation, and renewal and licensed verifiers who will onboard online sellers and e-commerce platform owners.