Nigeria’s National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) announced its intention to develop a national blockchain network, Nigerium, to enhance national security. The Internet Computer Protocol (ICP) team is popularizing blockchain among Nigerian youths.
Kashifu Abdullahi, Director General at the NITDA, spoke about the initiative to create a government blockchain network, Nigerium, which will enable the country to have full control over its data.
The project envisages collaboration between the private and public sectors to create a domestic blockchain. According to Abdullahi, most popular blockchains, such as Ethereum, are controlled by foreign developers, which, he says, negatively affects the level of national security.
The idea of developing Nigerium was presented by a delegation from the University of Hertfordshire Law School. Chanu Kuppuswamy, Head of the delegation, argues that having a local blockchain network will allow Nigeria to customize the technology according to the national needs and guarantee compliance with the local regulatory framework.
Local experts state that the level of professionalism of Nigerian developers will play a crucial role in this project, as only local talent will be involved. Nathaniel Luz, CEO of Flincap, says Nigerium should be developed domestically to ensure data security and national integrity. He also noted that it’s worth thinking ahead of time about a robust infrastructure for a national blockchain network, building on the work of the eNaira project (CBDC).
Amidst intense discussions on the Nigerium initiative, the Internet Computer Protocol (ICP) team is encouraging Nigerian youths to increase their knowledge of DLT systems and actively utilize blockchain. According to Adedayo Adebajo, Co-Founder of ICP Hub Sahara, the official branch of the ICP ecosystem in Africa, the main obstacle for Nigeria may be the inability to adapt blockchain developments due to the lack of skilled manpower. The ICP team is inviting students from local tech universities to participate in online blockchain programs, a hackathon, and several development competitions as part of DecaHack. Incentives for participation include grants of up to $25,000.
Read about Nigeria’s crypto market development in a special CP Media material.
