NITDA Hands Over Public Key Infrastructure to NIMC Under New Identity Law

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has began the transfer of Nigeria’s Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) to the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), marking a major step in implementing the newly enacted National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) Act 2026 and consolidating the country’s digital trust architecture.

NITDA’s director, Corporate Communications and Media Relations,  Hadiza Umar, stated that the transfer was announced during a formal handover ceremony at NITDA’s headquarters on Thursday.

The move is expected to strengthen Nigeria’s digital identity ecosystem by placing responsibility for digital authentication, encryption, digital signatures and secure electronic transactions under a single institution, in line with the provisions of the new law signed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu last month.

The decision was reached during a strategic meeting between the leadership of NITDA and NIMC in Abuja, where both agencies also agreed to deepen collaboration on digital public infrastructure, cybersecurity and the nationwide National Identification Number (NIN) enrolment exercise.

Speaking during the meeting, the Director-General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, said the collaboration represents a shift from policy discussions to practical implementation aimed at delivering secure and citizen-focused digital services.
“This is about moving beyond theoretical policy into immediate, practical execution. Aligning regulation and infrastructure is critical to delivering reliable, citizen-centric digital services,” Abdullahi said.

Under the NIMC Act 2026, NIMC has been designated as Nigeria’s Root Certification Authority, giving the commission responsibility for managing the country’s National Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) and broader digital trust services, including digital identity, authentication, encryption, digital certificates and secure data exchange.

The legislation also reinforces the National Identification Number as Nigeria’s foundational digital identity credential under the “One Person, One Identity, One Number” policy while expanding NIMC’s mandate to drive trusted digital services across the public and private sectors.

While public key Infrastructure provides the cryptographic framework that enables secure digital communications, verifies identities online and protects electronic transactions through encryption and digital certificates. By transferring the infrastructure to NIMC, the Federal Government aims to centralise digital trust services and align institutional responsibilities with the new legal framework.

Meanwhile, NITDA pledged technical and strategic support for NIMC’s nationwide identity enrolment campaign, which seeks to register Nigerians across the country’s 8,809 electoral wards before the end of 2026, in line with a presidential directive.

The two agencies also agreed to collaborate on cybersecurity initiatives, digital trust standards and secure data exchange mechanisms to strengthen Nigeria’s Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and improve confidence in digital government services.

During the visit, the NIMC delegation toured NITDA’s Computer Emergency Readiness and Response Team (CERRT) Centre and the Idea2Impact Innovation Space as part of efforts to identify areas for technical collaboration.

The partnership comes as the Federal Government intensifies efforts to modernise Nigeria’s digital identity framework, improve interoperability among government platforms, enhance cybersecurity and expand access to secure digital services that support financial inclusion, e-governance and the country’s growing digital economy.