Rural Households' Enrolment in Digital Identification and Payment Systems

This project examines the barriers to digital ID enrollment among rural populations in Nigeria and the implications for financial inclusion. Despite broad awareness of the National Identification Number (NIN) program, many rural residents remain unenrolled due to long queues, unofficial fees, slow processing, and limited access to registration centers. Surveys and interviews revealed particularly low enrollment among women, many of whom depend on family members’ IDs instead of registering independently. The study found a strong link between digital ID ownership and access to bank accounts, but no clear connection to credit access. Insights from this research will inform future experimental studies on expanding financial inclusion and improving service delivery through digital identification systems.