Nigerian Government Teams Up With Master Card To Create Futuristic National ID Cards

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Nigerian Government Teams Up With Master Card To Create Futuristic National ID Cards

May 16th, 2013

FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda

(Neal Ungerleider) The latest in financial innovation is coming from Nigeria–and it blessedly doesn’t involve elaborate Internet scams.

Nigeria’s government, instead, is teaming up with MasterCard to run a pilot program which would turn the country’s national ID cards into debit cards.

MasterCard and the Nigerian National Identity Management Commission made the government debit card announcement at the World Economic Forum on Africa on Wednesday. 13 million combination government ID cards/debit cards will be rolled out over the next year; Nigeria has a population of approximately 167 million. The ID cards, which contain demographic and biometric data belonging to each Nigerian citizen encoded on a microchip, will be linked to bank accounts. When the cards are used at stores or kiosks, cashiers will be able to verify the buyer’s identity using both the regular photo identification and the biometric chip-encoded information.

For Nigeria, which is undergoing an economic boom fueled by new businesses and mobile phones, the worry is that ethnic violence and omnipresent corruption could slow down growth. Due to the tracking capabilities, security, and built-in paper trail of cashless currency, the Nigerian government feels debit card payments could be a solution. After the initial 13 million cards are given to pilot testers, the government hopes to deploy 120 million ID cards/debit cards once the scheme proves workable.

“The initial rollout in Nigeria of 13 million MasterCard-branded National Identity Smart Cards with electronic payment capability–followed by a nation-wide rollout of potentially 120 million cards to all adult citizens–will allow cardholders to deposit funds on the card, receive social benefits, pay for goods and services, withdraw cash from all ATMs that accept MasterCard, and engage in many other financial transactions that are facilitated by electronic payments,” MasterCard’s Michael Miebach told Fast Company via email. “In addition to the various functionalities of a Smart ID, the scheme will allow Nigerians, 70% of whom currently having no back account, to participate in the global economy.”

Continue reading @ fast company