CBN Begins Grassroot eNaira Adoption With 7,740 Agent Points

Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has begun an inclusive campaign for grassroot adoption of its digital currency, eNaira.

The bank engaged some commercial drivers in the Federal Capital Territory yesterday to educate them on how to use the digital currency with a focus on making them ambassadors to drive the adoption campaign to the grassroot.

The apex bank said it is targeting the installment of a minimum of 10 agent points in Nigeria’s 774 local government areas to help in facilitating the visibility and nationwide adoption of the Central bank digital currency (CBDC).

Speaking at an awareness campaign that was organised for association of tricycle drivers yesterday in Abuja, CBN coordinator, technical working committee on eNaira Hajiya Rekiya Mohammed said the bank was at the park to promote eNaira awareness campaign by intimating commercial drivers of the idea, aim, benefits and use of the eNaira application for everyday transaction.

“We are here to engage the wider community of Keke Napep riders. This is to simplify the application for people to use it and onboard people unto the platform,” Mohammed who was represented by Dr Khalipha Nuhu, an officer in information technology department said.

“From today, we are going to carry out this sensitisation programme through all the nooks and crannies of this country until eNaira is widely accepted,” Bizi said.

“We are targeting 774 local governments and, each local government will have not less than 10 agents,” said Dr Aminu Bizi, chief executive officer of Bizi Mobile Cashless, a consultant with the CBN to drive the grassroot eNaira adoption in Nigeria.

The central bank has incentivised the process with the introduction of a discount for a tricycle customer and the driver.

What it means is that any tricycle driver who does payment transaction with his customer on the platform gets 5 percent discount while the customer also gets equal amount of discount on the actual price of the transport fare.

“The essence of this is to reach the grassroot. If the sachet water seller, shoe shiner and other petty traders adopt its use, then the eNaira is good to go,” Dr Bizi said.

The major requirement to operate on the platform is a National Identification Number (NIN).

Earlier, Dr Nuhu told the commercial drivers that the platform has a language feature of the three major Nigerian languages

Hajiya Mohammed who is also the director, information technology at CBN said the adoption drive covers all sectors and all segments i.e government institutions, companies, small scale and medium enterprises and all currency users.

The campaign is expected to improve their knowledge of the digital currency. Beyond the inclusive drive of the CBN, the commercial drivers are also encourages to be co-drivers of the process for wider adoption of the project.

No much literacy is required to transact on the eNaira platform. Dr Nuhu said its multi-lingual feature of Nigeria’s three major languages: Igbo, Hausa and Yoruba provides easy usage for majority of Nigerians without much technical knowledge.

He told the crowd that apart from the mobile application, those without data network enabled phones can use the USSD code of *997# to begin transaction on the eNaira platform at no cost.

The awareness campaign is being done in the different states of Nigeria.