Nigeria’s National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) says the agency is developing a blockchain technology to authenticate National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificates.
The Director-General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa disclosed this while delivering a Keynote address at the policy dialogue for the implementation of the National Blockchain Policy in Nigeria
The event tagged “Driving Sustainable Economic Growth and Development through the Adoption of Blockchain Technology” was organised by NITDA in collaboration with Stakeholders in Blockchain Technology Association of Nigeria (SiBAN), in Lagos,South-West,Nigeria.
The NITDA Boss said that to address the challenge of certificate forgery and fraudulent issuance, it is collaborating with the newly appointed Director-General of NYSC, Brigadier-General Yusha’u Ahmed, to pioneer the development of an advanced blockchain-based certificate authentication system
Inuwa highlighted the transformative potential of blockchain technology in revolutionizing the process of certificate verification saying the initiative holds the promise of ushering in a new era of secure and reliable certification.
He said the initiative is crucial to address growing concerns over fraudulent issuance and forgery of NYSC certificates.
The NITDA Boss said the measure will enhance transparency in certificate issuance process and strengthen the integrity and validity of NYSC certificates.
He explained that when fully implemented, individuals, institutions, and employers will be able to verify the authenticity of NYSC certificates with ease.
“The NYSC certificate has been a concern due to widespread cases of forgery and fraudulent issuance. We recognise the urgent need to combat the prevalent issue of forged NYSC certificates in Nigeria.
“By leveraging blockchain’s power, we aim to establish a secure, tamper-proof system that will enable individuals, institutions, and employers to easily verify the authenticity of NYSC certificates,” Inuwa assured
He called on relevant authorities in the country to harness the potentials of blockchain technology to revamp certificate verification process.
