Beyond Registration: Building Trust Infrastructure for Identity in Africa

While national ID programs across the continent have enrolled millions—Nigeria’s NIN system exceeding 100 million and the BVN capturing over 60 million—the promise of digital identity remains largely unfulfilled. The issue isn’t a lack of identification but rather the absence of trust between systems.

The current approach creates friction as users repeatedly verify credentials across platforms, costing institutions up to $25 per customer (according to World Bank estimates) and leading to delays and drop-offs for users. This fragmentation prevents identity from becoming truly usable—credit applications require re-verification, payment systems don’t reconcile cleanly, and platforms operate in silos.

Shifting the Focus: From Identity to Trust

Instead of asking “How do we identify more people?” we should be asking: “How do we make existing identity verifiable across systems?” How can credentials travel seamlessly between institutions?

This requires a fundamental shift from building isolated databases to creating interoperable trust frameworks—similar to Estonia’s digital ID system where over 99% of public services are accessible digitally.

The Economic Imperative

Addressing this trust gap presents significant economic opportunities. McKinsey estimates that effective digital ID systems could unlock 3–13% of GDP value in emerging economies by 2030 through increased financial inclusion and reduced fraud.

Early initiatives like Tulu Identity are exploring this layer not as another database but as a trust framework designed to connect existing systems—a critical step toward realizing the full potential of digital identity in Africa.