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The Nigerian National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has announced partnership with MasterCard, for the new national identity cards project. The ID would have a two-face design, with citizen information and MasterCard, respectively — on both. It is the first time that such design is going national, after years of adoption by schools — for student IDs. Introducing MasterCard is seen as a medium for security, and access to funds for pensioners and others on welfare programs. Excited at the development, the coordinating Minster of Nigeria’s Economy, Dr. Okonjo-Iweala said, “This programme is good practice for us to bring all the citizens on a common platform for interacting with the various government agencies and for transacting electronically. We will implement this initiative in a collaborative manner between the public and private sectors, to achieve its full potential of inclusive citizenship and more effective governance.” The President, Middle East and Africa, MasterCard, Michael Miebach, said, “This announcement is the first phase of an unprecedented project in terms of scale and scope for Nigeria. MasterCard has been a firm supporter of the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) cashless policy as we share a vision of a world beyond cash.” “From the programme’s inception, we have provided the Federal Government of Nigeria with global insights and best practices on how electronic payments can enable economic growth and create a more financially inclusive economy” The Director General and Chief Executive of the National Identity Management Commission, Chris Onyemenam, added that, “We have chosen MasterCard to be the payment technology provider for the initial roll-out of the national identity smart card project because the company has shown a commitment to furthering financial inclusion through the reduction of cash in the Nigerian economy.” “MasterCard has pioneered large-scale card schemes that combine biometric functionality with electronic payments and we want to capitalise on their experience in this field to make our program rollout a sustainable success for the country and for the continent.”