By Deborah Nnamdi
The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has announced that the federal government is set to eliminate the need for Nigerians to repeatedly submit the same personal data to different government agencies. This will be achieved through the rollout of the Nigerian Data Exchange Platform (NGDX).
For years, citizens have had to provide identical personal and biometric information for services like NIN registration, driver’s licenses, BVN, SIM registration, and passport applications. The NGDX aims to change that.
Speaking at a stakeholders’ workshop in Abuja, NITDA Director General Kashifu Inuwa said the NGDX will function as a secure, unified system that allows authorised government institutions to access and share verified data.
“This means citizens will no longer need to resubmit the same information to each MDA,” Inuwa said. “Agencies will be able to seamlessly verify records on the back end.”
The NGDX is expected to reduce bureaucracy, save time and costs for Nigerians, and improve public sector efficiency. Businesses, particularly fintechs and other identity-reliant service providers, will also benefit from quicker Know-Your-Customer (KYC) processes and access to verified data sources.
Inuwa emphasized that the platform offers more than convenience—it also enables innovation. By granting access to anonymised public data, startups and enterprises can develop solutions in areas like healthcare, agriculture, fintech, and education.
“The NGDX will unlock new possibilities for innovation using anonymised public data to improve service delivery across sectors,” he said.
He described the platform as essential national infrastructure, akin to the rollout of broadband fibre optics, and reaffirmed NITDA’s collaboration with the Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, and other partners to ensure successful implementation.
