BIO-key to supply biometrics for ecommerce in $45M partnership with Nigerian government agency

BIO-key has partnered with a Nigerian government agency to build secure infrastructure with its biometric software and hardware to facilitate ecommerce across the country in the hopes of creating a million jobs, in a contract expected to generate $45 million for the company over the next 18 months.

The deal is in support of a program from the National Electronic Labour Exchange (NELEX), which falls under the Ministry of Labour, to educate and empower recent college graduates in Nigeria. Local consultants, Exponential Launch Africa Limited (ELA), an affiliate of the Technology Transfer Institute of Africa (TTI), Imperial Education Services (IES) and BIO-key Africa partnered with NELEX to develop the program.

TTI and BIO-key formed a channel alliance partnership in November, shortly before the company launched its African subsidiary.

Under it, BIO-key’s biometric solutions will be provided to recent graduates, along with the skills to use them, with the intention of delivering education, healthcare, retail, financial, and identity management services to the domestic market.

“Our strategic partnership with NELEX is yet another substantial step towards promoting and advocating BIO-key and, more importantly, driving real-life use cases for its identity management technologies,” states BIO-key Africa Managing Director and Exponential Launch Africa Limited Chairman Akintunde Jeje. “NELEX is the Federal Government of Nigeria’s regulatory agency responsible for creating high quality employment across Nigeria. This high profile relationship provides access to BIO-key’s innovative technologies, and our collaboration will reinforce our position as the premier biometric solutions provider in Nigeria and Africa as a whole.”

“This exciting project perfectly matches the core mandate of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, through the National Electronic Labour Exchange. As a regulatory agency for employment creation, the Ministry’s core mandate is ensuring ‘Decent Work, Safety and Social Security,’” says Deputy Director of Labour and Employment Mienye Badejo.

“We look forward to the start of this novel and strategic relationship as Nigeria possesses an impressive human resource pool that is largely untapped. This program will greatly and positively impact the utilisation of our tremendous talent pool.”

Nigeria is also in the process of standing up an ambitious national digital ID program.

“We are excited to provide biometric solutions in support of this national initiative to employ and empower one million future leaders in Nigeria,” BIO-key CEO Mike DePasquale comments. “This enormous initiative, made possible by the Ministry of Labour in Nigeria, is a testament to the forward thinking of our partner, ELA an affiliate of TTI, as well as our African subsidiary’s leadership.”

DePasquale also says that Nigeria is taking a global leadership position in biometric authentication, referencing the company’s recent $30 million contract win in the country.

Article Topics

Africa  |  BIO-key  |  biometric software  |  biometrics  |  ecommerce  |  hardware  |  identity management  |  Nigeria