UN Women and MasterCard launch the Identity Registration Project for Women in Nigeria
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UN Women in partnership with MasterCard, the National Identity Management Commission(NIMC), and Zamani Foundation, officially launched the commencement of Biometric Electronic Identity (eID) registration of 500,000 women in Nigeria under the UN Women-MasterCard project on the 9 November, 2016.
The launch, which was held in Kaduna State was chaired by the representative of the Governor of Kaduna State on behalf of the Government of Nigeria. 5,000 women will be registered during the first phase of 10 days starting from the 9th of November, 2016. At the launch of the pilot project in Kaduna, the UN Women Representative, Ms. Adjaratou Ndiaye, described the campaign as a critical phase to help women who sometimes were among the most vulnerable enjoy their rights.
Demonstration of the registration process during the launch
UN Women, in support of the Government of Nigeria’s financial inclusion initiative, will mobilize 500,000 women in four strategic states -Lagos, Kaduna, Adamawa and Edo - to participate in the ongoing government’s National Identity Management System project. Under this project, 13 million Nigerians will be issued National Identification Cards embedded with biometric-based verification and electronic payment capabilities in partnership with MasterCard, allowing previously excluded persons to build a financial history and establish credit-worthiness with financial institutions as a foundational step towards financial inclusion.
Acquiring a National ID card is a process that can help empower women through improved political participation, access to financial resources, their protection as full citizens of the nation, and guaranteeing women’s free movement by improving their security. Therefore, UN Women will leverage on its global partnership with MasterCard to support Financing for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment to enable Nigerian women to acquire National ID cards during this campaign initiated by the government of Nigeria. The UN Women-MasterCard project will target women that were initially not registered in the Government nationwide registration.