The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has launched the National Public Key Infrastructure (NPKI) to secure online communications.
The commencement of the NPKI operation was unveiled by the NITDA’s Director General, Mallam Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, in Abuja on Wednesday.
Abdullahi said NPKI is key to the rollout of digital economy services in line with the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy for a Digital Nigeria (NDEPS).
He said the national PKI will guarantee secure communication for all online services, provide security against unauthorised access and disclosure of stored information.
“The deployment of the national PKI will empower e-Government and digital economy transformations through the provision of secure data exchange and authentication for electronic transactions protection which can be leveraged by the banking sector and its regulator, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN),” he revealed.
It will also provide accreditation and authorization of web applications that can be utilised by start-ups, MSMEs and corporate organisations, Abdullahi added.
He said the NPKI would also provide trust, transparency, accountability and validation services in the issuance and authentication of digital identity, passports and travel documents, stamp duty, tax clearance certificates, health test results and vaccine certificates among others.
The key generation and handover were done at the event by Veridos Germany for Root Certification Authority (RCA), for Country Signing Certification Authority (CSCA) and Country Verification Certification Authority (CVCA) of Nigeria.
In August 2017, the federal government issued a presidential directive mandating NITDA to harmonise all PKI-related projects in the country.
