Nigerian mobile users to have vehicle registration encrypted using HID goID

HID Global, a vendor in secure identity solutions, announced it has partnered with Media Concepts of Lagos, Nigeria to deploy mobile IDs on Nigerian citizen smartphones using the new HID goID platform. Mobile IDs will be issued through the Nigerian Police Biometric Central Motor Registry vehicle registration card programme, which provides real time access to vehicle owner information via credentials and mobile readers powered by Seos.

The Biometric Central Motor Registry card programme is moving from pilot phase to full implementation with the expectation to register all motor vehicles as the project rolls out nationwide.

“Our vision is to create a safer Nigeria for both citizens and police. This project equips our police officers with the information they need, enabling them to do their job more effectively,” said Femi Agoro, Director, Media Concepts. “Working together with HID Global, we are proud to be bringing such innovative new mobile technologies to the people of Nigeria.”

This programme in Nigeria is the first of several programs that HID Global will be announcing across the world in support of the company’s mobility initiative launched last month, including the new HID goID solution that enables smart devices to securely carry government issued IDs and conduct transactions not possible using a physical card.

“Smartphone adoption among Nigeria’s 170 million citizens is growing exponentially,” said Rob Haslam, Vice President and Managing Director, Government ID Solutions with HID Global. “Offering citizens the option to carry a mobile ID on a smartphone to easily and conveniently prove vehicle ownership is a natural next step in the wider shift to government-issued mobile IDs for vehicle registration and beyond.”

The Nigerian Police Biometric Central Motor Registry is a biometrically enabled, real time information system designed to enhance the reliability and effectiveness of policing. The Biometric Central Motor Registry programme marks the beginning of a major deployment of vehicle registration cards and mobile readers that are powered by Seos technology.

Simultaneously, the Nigerian police are launching the programme to offer citizens a secure and convenient mobile ID option. Citizens can apply for a mobile ID at the time of vehicle registration. Once registration is complete, issuance of the mobile ID to a citizen’s smartphone is almost instant, which bridges the gap between registration and receipt of the physical card.

The Nigerian Police will be issued smartphones as mobile readers to verify a vehicle owner’s ID and at the same time gain real time access to reliable accident, crime or insurance information on the vehicle. The readers will sit in a specially designed cradle to accommodate the citizen’s biometrics stored on the card or mobile ID.

The new Biometric Central Motor Registry mobile IDs use the HID goID platform, which delivers the secure infrastructure to allow citizen IDs to be safely provisioned to and authenticated on a smartphone. Rapid issuance enables the citizen to take instant possession of their vehicle registration and is particularly convenient if the citizen has more than one vehicle, as multiple IDs can be carried together on one smartphone.

HID Global and Media Concepts designed the programme so that this new offering would be integrated directly into Nigeria’s current enrolment process, allowing a seamless migration to mobile IDs.

The goID platform enables instant over-the-air credential provisioning and streamlined access to cloud-based government information services. All transactions related to issuing, managing and presenting mobile IDs using smartphones are secure and trustworthy with HID goID, ensuring that transactions are conducted in a closed-circuit environment protected by end-to-end encryption.

The goID platform has been designed so that even in areas of restricted or no network coverage, the police officer can still verify the identity of the owner and vehicle offline. It also ensures privacy protection by enabling users to present credentials with a Bluetooth or NFC connection rather than physically relinquishing their smartphones.

Media Concepts of Lagos, Nigeria has been instrumental in bringing innovative technologies and solutions to Africa. HID Global partnered with Media Concepts to conceive and build the ground breaking programme in Nigeria. Together, the two companies are addressing complex government-to-citizen identification programs throughout Africa.

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