The federal government has approved digital identity for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and the establishment of a national innovation and entrepreneurship centre.
With the digital ID, the displaced persons will be able to access public, private, and humanitarian services, and it will also improve internal security, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, said in a statement.
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Pantami said the approval was sequel to memos on a Draft National Policy on Digital Identity for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Nigeria and a request for the construction of a Digital Innovation and Entrepreneurship Centre presented at the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on Wednesday.
“Both memos were approved and will support the implementation of the National Digital Economy Policy for a Digital Nigeria.
He said the Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) showed that millions of citizens fall under the IDP category.
“IDPs are spread across the 36 states of the federation and the FCT. Borno State has the highest number of IDPs while Ondo State has the lowest number at over 1.49 million and over 1,000 people respectively.”
It will be supervised by the ministry and implemented by the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), he explained.
The minister also said the innovation centre to be sited in Abuja would provide facilities to nurture new ideas and focus on the promotion and development of emerging technologies.
