Nigeria digitalizes process to authenticate academic certificates

The evaluation, verification, or authentication of academic credentials in Nigeria are now fully digital and largely automated processes.

A recent announcement by the Press and Public Relations Director of the Federal Ministry of Education, Boriowo Folasade, states that the development is “part of ongoing efforts to strengthen transparency, improve data management, and enhance public service delivery.”

The ministry said the process is now strictly online and those who need the services do not have to visit any physical office. They only need to upload all required supporting documents via a dedicated portal and ask their awarding institution to forward their academic transcripts directly to the ministry by email.

Labeled ESSVerify, the new platform can be accessed via essverify.education.gov.ng. Before now, academic certificates in Nigeria were authenticated manually or through semi-automated processes that were cumbersome, costly, and time-consuming.

Educational document verification is completed by the Evaluation and Accreditation portal’s evaluation team.

“This development aligns with the Ministry’s commitment to the Federal Government’s digital transformation agenda and its resolve to deploy modern technology to improve efficiency, ensure data integrity, and support evidence-based policy decisions within the education sector,” the ministry statement read in part.

“The Ministry wishes to emphasize that applicants are no longer required to visit the Federal Ministry of Education for physical verification, as the entire process will now be conducted electronically. This transition to a fully automated platform is expected to simplify procedures, reduce processing time, and further strengthen the integrity and credibility of academic credential verification in Nigeria,” it added.

Authorities added that all applicants must endeavor to strictly adhere to the new measures in order to ensure the timely and efficient handling of their requests.

While Nigeria is automating its academic verification process, countries like Kenya are considering phasing out physical certificates completely, to replace them with verifiable credentials. The government has been working on the initiative, which it says is part of its vision to boost the security and integrity of academic documents.

Last year, the Democratic Republic of Congo launched a blockchain-based system called e-Diplôme to digitalize academic credential verification and improve transparency and integrity.

According to Punch, the automated certificates authentication process in Nigeria, for the moment, concerns federal universities, colleges of education, and polytechnics, while other institutions of higher learning will be onboarded in a phased manner.

Article Topics

digital government  |  document verification  |  education  |  Nigeria  |  verifiable credentials