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Nigeria’s Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim (Pantami) has reiterated the need to adopt and use the Open Standards set of Interfaces (APIs), as a means of developing standardized APIs and tools to provide Africans with the much needed access to services, in their countries of origin and anywhere else on the continent.

The Minister was speaking through his representative, Engineer Abdulaziz Aliyu, the Director General of the country’s National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), at the Trustech Conference in Paris, France, according to a statement signed by Uwa Suleiman, Spokesperson to the Minister.

In his opening remarks at the Identity for Government Tract session, the Director General and chairman of the OSIA Advisory Board, noted that “Africans need credible identity documents and means of being verified securely, without their data being harvested by entities without control. It is not a uniquely Nigerian problem, and I have the mandate to extend my thoughts beyond Nigeria, to the African continent at large. Data is gold and entities that cannot be trusted have had unfettered access to personal information without the consent or the knowledge of the identity owner”.

Professor Pantami, further emphasized the urgency for a cross-border identity ecosystem with mutual recognition, developed by Africans, using African know-how and talent for the African market.

He further remarked that OSIA’s recognition by a host of international standards including the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), will go a long way in providing job opportunities and assist in circulating local currencies across the continent.“ I therefore urge African regional banks, Afrexim and the African Development Bank to support local talent”.

Recall that Professor Pantami has been a strong advocate for secure identities on the African continent.

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