FG Seeks One-Year Extension for $430m Digital ID Project as NIN Target Lags

FG Seeks One-Year Extension for $430m Digital ID Project as NIN Target Lags

The Federal Government has actually asked for another 12-month extension of Nigeria’s$430 million digital identity task as roughly $196 countless its funding stays undisbursed and National Identification Number issuance tracks the target by 59 million.

This is included in a World Bank reorganizing paper dated 22 October, 2026, gotten by The PUNCH from the bank’s site on Wednesday.

The proposed extension would move the Nigeria Digital Identification for Development Project’s closing date from 31 December, 2026, to 31 December, 2027.

“The proposed Level 2 restructuring looks for to extend the job closing date by 12 months, as asked for by the Government on May 8, 2026,” the report mentioned.

“This would be the 3rd closing date extension under this job because Board Approval in February 2020, for the cumulative duration of 42 months (3.5 years).”

The task was initially arranged to close in June 2024 before getting a six-month extension and another two-year extension.

An analysis revealed that around $196 million, representing 45.6 percent of the funding, stayed undisbursed after overall dispensations reached about $234 million.

“The total job dispensation rate inclusive of co-financiers stands at around $234m or 54.4 percent,” the bank specified.

The funding makes up $115 million from the World Bank’s International Development Association, $100 million equivalent from the French Development Agency and $215 million equivalent from the European Investment Bank.

The undisbursed balance for that reason covers all 3 investors. The report’s funding summary individually puts IDA’s undisbursed balance at $18.83 million.

Authorized in February 2020 and reliable from December 2021, the job looks for to broaden access to recognition and services through a safe and secure, inclusive nationwide identity system.

About 121 million individuals had actually gotten NINs by September 30, 2026, versus the 180 million target, leaving a deficiency of 59 million.

This represents a boost of around 84 million from the standard, NIMC needs to considerably speed up enrolment to fulfill the target.

“NIMC reconfirmed the dedication to reach the target of 180 million keeping in mind that this would need a boost in regular monthly registration rates from the existing average of 1.5 million to 3.9 million,” the report mentioned.

This indicates a 160 percent boost in regular monthly enrolment.

The bank likewise identified enrolment records from effectively produced NINs, keeping in mind that more than 140 million enrolments had actually been tape-recorded by September 14, however just 121 million had actually finished biometric and group recognition and replicate checks.

Ladies and kids stayed behind their particular targets. Since June, 40.4 million ladies and women had NINs versus a target of 79 million, while 26.3 million kids under 16 had NINs versus 60.83 million.

The report determined overdue enrolment partners as another restraint, specifying that the billing system need to produce audited payment reports to allow payments to partners “which have actually not been paid considering that January 2026.”

Other concerns consist of releasing 7,000 procured mobile phones by January 2027, training representatives, broadening ward-level enrolment across the country and starting school enrolment by December 2026.

The ward project had actually created 10 million NINs given that March, according to the report.

A significant factor for the extension is the postponed replacement of NIMC’s existing innovation with the National Identity Management System 2.0.

The agreement was signed on September 15, 2026, following prolonged procurement. Application, usually needing roughly 18 months, was compressed into 15 months, with complete implementation and information migration set up for December 15, 2027.

The brand-new platform would change fragmented exclusive systems with an open-source system created to enhance capability, interoperability and information defense.

NINAuth was released in May 2025, the job’s digital authentication targets stayed unmet pending combination into the brand-new platform.

The bank alerted that failure to extend its participation would likewise stop application by the other investors.

“If the task is not extended by WBG, all other co-financiers will likewise close,” it mentioned.