Africa Embracing Digitalization: Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Kazakhstan Take the Lead
Nigeria's Federal Ministry of Education has introduced a fully digitalized process for authenticating academic certificates. The new system, which was initially scheduled to take effect in April, eliminates the need for applicants to visit the ministry physically and allows for worldwide access. This move aims to reduce bureaucratic bottlenecks, improve processing and transparency, and provide better services to Nigerians and applicants both inside and outside the country.
The manual processes previously used were exposed to risks of forgery and fraudulent academic claims, with graduates and job seekers facing significant travel expenses and administrative delays when seeking physical stamps and manual validations for their degrees from tertiary institutions. The digital reform replaces in-person applications, manual paper trails and reviews, and physical stamp validation with a fully digital workflow.
In other news, Ethiopia is planning to expand its National Digital ID Program to Zambia, Mozambique, and Burundi. The program has already reached 50 million digital national ID holders in Ethiopia, with efforts to integrate the digital ID system with service-providing institutions resulting in links with 150 government agencies, private entities, startups, and other organizations.
Meanwhile, Kazakhstan is looking to launch a tenge-pegged stablecoin and has announced two tokenization efforts. The country's central bank introduced comprehensive regulations on digital asset circulation in May, specifically addressing digital financial assets, including money-backed stablecoins. The plan aims to move capital from foreign and unregulated platforms into Kazakhstan's transparent regulatory framework.
Kazakhstan is also planning to launch tokenization of the Iconic Tower complex, valued at $50 million, by the end of this year. The project will be implemented via the National Bank's regulatory sandbox and the infrastructure of the Kazakhstan Stock Exchange (KASE).