Speaking during Wednesday'due south annual Digital Africa Briefing, Isa Pantami, Nigeria's Minister of Communications and Digital Economic system, identified blockchain as part of the government's focus on emerging technologies, according to a study past Phonation of Nigeria.

Highlighting the conference theme — "Edifice a New Africa with AI and Blockchain" — Pantami stated that the government was working toward establishing innovation centers.

According to Pantami, these innovation centers will explore capacity-building protocols for artificial intelligence, the Cyberspace of Things, robotics, deject calculating and blockchain engineering science, amidst other fields.

Every bit part of his address, the communications government minister said the move was part of efforts to promote an innovation-driven civilisation in Nigeria, adding:

"Nosotros are as well actively preparing to take advantage of blockchain technologies for our digital economy, and we recently developed a National Blockchain Adoption Strategy."

Back in October 2020, Nigeria's National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) issued a draft strategy framework for blockchain. The document included a six-point agenda for utilizing the novel technology including national digital identity and regulatory sandboxes for pilot implementations.

Addressing the briefing, NITDA director-general Kashifu Inuwa stated that Nigeria tin can be a growth driver for AI and blockchain in Africa. In Nov 2020, Inuwa remarked that the country could generate up to $ten billion in acquirement from blockchain by 2030.

Pantami'south ministry has been spearheading a mandatory national identity programme in the land — a move that has generated significant controversy over the compulsory linkage of phone numbers to national ID data.

Related: Nigeria hopes blockchain volition generate $10B revenue past 2030

While addressing privacy and data security concerns, the minister's accost did not include whatever mention of possible blockchain adoption in the area of safely storing national ID records.

Back in February, Nigeria'south vice president, Yemi Osinbajo, stated that crypto and blockchain will revamp Nigeria's financial landscape. The vice president's comments followed on the heels of a ban imposed past the central bank prohibiting financial institutions from servicing cryptocurrency exchanges.