E-Business
NIMC Card Bureau Facility Gets GVCP Certification
National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) facilities have received Global Vendors Certification Programme (GVCP) certification by MasterCard.
The facility certified recently is the Card Personalization Bureau which is where the National e-ID Cards are personalized and made ready for distribution and subsequent activation.
This is one of the few such Government-owned facilities certified under the GVCP Scheme of the MasterCard on the African continent.
Mr. Abdulhamid Umar, deputy director, Corporate Communications (NIMC), who confirmed the development said the certification followed conscious effort by the Management of the NIMC that led to the refitting, retooling and upgrading of the Card Printing facility.
Umar added that the facility was built by Government under the previous scheme in compliance with some of the requirements and standards for security and operational procedure in the Plastic Card Industry as set by the EMV, PCI DSS globally for such High Security Areas (HSAs).
He noted that the ISO 27001: 2005 certification was also part of efforts at ensuring the GVCP, PCI DSS certification and noted that the coast was now clear for the NIMC to deploy its full capacity for card personalization and also for extending it to the third party vendors it has contracted for that purpose once they are ready.
Umar further said that as usual with industry practice, the facility would be recertified every year.
According to him, the measures taken included providing the required security monitoring appliances for the ‘High Security Areas (HSAs) as well as ensuring the entire area is made safe and secured from threats of physical and logical security, including ensuring that the right persons with ‘clean service records’ are working in the Bureau with clearly defined access to the premises and to the entire NIMS system, particularly the card perso plant process.
The entire exercise was subjected to an independent audit that raised necessary remedial steps to be taken following which, after subsequent audit exercise, the certification was granted.
“So the NIMC Card Bureau can personalize EMV Cards and there is no limit for its ability to do so except for the installed capacity of about 20,000 Cards a day,” he said.
Mr. Tunji Durodola, who heads the Card Management Services, added that there is plan for expansion because the turn around time of 30 working days after enrolment of a citizen for the Card to be issued cannot even be met by this capacity and there is already a backlog which will take a few months to clear.”
He said. ‘We will now focus on ensuring that third party bureaus can either make significant progress as required to support the card issuance process or NIMC will scale up, this ‘train’ is now moving!’
He added that Management is appreciative of efforts of the various Vendors and staff members especially those of the Technical Services department, IT/IDD department and Project Management Office for achieving this feet.
An Industry source who preferred to remain anonymous confirmed that this development means that the NIMC Management had it all thought out. “It takes a meticulous process and very deep attention to details to achieve this certification. First it was the ISO 27001 and now the more difficult GVCP, kudos to the Management.” he said.
“Let’s hope they can now hand over the project to private sector, at least Government has shown its 100 per cent commitment and the project is working,” he added.
Nigerian government, through the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), has announced a strategic collaboration to strengthen cybersecurity and clean up the nation’s cyberspace.
Recognizing that cybercrime knows no borders, Nigeria also reaffirmed its commitment to fostering stronger global partnerships within the cybersecurity ecosystem.
This announcement was made during a press conference before the inaugural National Cybersecurity Conference, which is scheduled to take place in Abuja from July 9th to 11th, 2025.
Sa’ad Abubakar, national cybersecurity coordinator from the Office of National Security Advisor, said fighting cybercrime must take the whole of society and the whole of the government approach.
According to him, “Apart from the deterrent approach whereby government agencies such as Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arrest individuals, take them to court and prosecute them, the youth can be nurtured into better citizens who can showcase their capacity in better ways and be useful to the country.”
Similarly, Kashifu Abdullahi, director-general, NITDA, also stressed the need for collaborative efforts in fighting cybercrimes.
According to him “Then, in addition to that, we also want to build a stronger global collaboration with the global cyber security ecosystem, because when you look at cybercrime in general, it doesn’t respect the borders.
“Someone can commit a crime from Ghana using a Nigerian ID in the US. So you can look at him physically in a different jurisdiction, pretending to be in another jurisdiction, committing the crime in another jurisdiction.
“So without that kind of synergy and working together, it will be difficult to address these challenges. The third one is challenge. The third one is getting an alternative to cybercrime for our kids in Nigeria. We have this as a major challenge.”
Inuwa further highlighted the upcoming conference’s importance, noting that it would tackle key issues through workshops, discussions on emerging threats, cross-border cybersecurity collaboration strategies, and training programmes.
He also announced that the National Cybersecurity Conference 2025 would feature the Cybersecurity Excellence Awards, recognising top contributions in the field.
The DG extended an invitation to global partners to collaborate with Nigeria in building a safer digital future.
The press conference was attended by notable figures, including Ahmad Sa’ad Abubakar, National Coordinator of, the National Cybersecurity Coordination Centre (NCCC); Hanniel Jafar, Representative of the President, of Cyber Security Experts Association of Nigeria (CSEAN); Ankit Shukla, Managing Director, QNA Marketing Management LLC and members of the press and other stakeholders.
XIAN Telecom has acquired an 8% stake in pan-African e-commerce company Jumia Technologies, citing the platform’s fintech and logistics strengths as key drivers of its backing.
This marks the first major telecom investment in Jumia since MTN Group’s exit in 2020.
AXIAN, a fast-growing telecom and digital services provider with operations across Africa, disclosed the purchase in a Schedule 13D filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
While the financial terms were not disclosed, AXIAN Telecom CEO, Hassan Jaber, described the move as a strategic alignment with Jumia’s growth trajectory and digital ecosystem.
“Jumia’s achievements in digital retail and fintech, particularly through JumiaPay and its logistics network, make it a very attractive investment for us. We believe in Jumia’s potential to promote financial and economic inclusion, which aligns with our core values,” said Jaber.
Once dubbed the “Amazon of Africa,” Jumia became the first African-founded tech company to list on the New York Stock Exchange in 2019.
But years of underperformance, leadership changes, and competitive pressures dented investor confidence.
In October 2020, South Africa’s MTN Group offloaded its 18.9% stake for $138 million, well below the $698 million value it once held post-IPO.
Since then, Jumia has undergone a significant transformation. Under CEO Francis Dufay, appointed in 2022, the company exited low-performing markets like South Africa and Tunisia, cut costs, and doubled down on core markets – Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt, and Morocco.
The firm is now focused on high-growth verticals, including everyday essentials and digital financial services.
Jumia’s regional CEO for East Africa, Vinod Goel, recently revealed plans to scale up international brand offerings and open its logistics network to third-party businesses.
Jaber underscored that AXIAN Telecom’s investment signals renewed confidence in Jumia’s long-term potential.
The telecom firm’s CEO said the company views Jumia as a key player in advancing Africa’s digital economy, aligning with AXIAN’s mission through its fintech and digital infrastructure brands such as Yas and Mixx by Yas.
Abisoye Coker-Odusote, director general, National Identity management commission (NIMC) has said that the commission is set to register 95 percent of Nigerians into the National Identity Database before December 2025.
Abisoye Coker-Odusote,, DG, NIMC
She made this statement at a press briefing to highlight the commissions goal aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, particularly on digital governance and inclusive development.
The mass enrollment drive will be powered by a combination of improved infrastructure, expanded registration centres, and robust public sensitization campaigns.
As of May 2025, NIMC reports over 120 million Nigerians have been enrolled, and about 100 million more would be captured by December.
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