The National Information Technology Development Agency has concluded the second public presentation of the blueprint for Public Key Infrastructure for stakeholders in Nigeria.
The presentation, which held in Lagos, was part of ongoing efforts at evolving an acceptable blueprint for the implementation of PKI in Nigeria.
The first presentation was made in Abuja in March this year.
Speaking at the Lagos forum, the Director-General, NITDA, Prof. Cleopas Angaye, said this was the first time a comprehensive document had been put together by the Federal Government to chart a course for the emergence of a digital economy for the country.
"NITDA, in 2011 embarked on an extensive research for a choice of technology and security architecture for digital certificates that is commercially available, highly interoperable, that will satisfy the need for privacy, authorisation, integrity and non-repudiation for which the PKI meets these requirements," he said.
A PKI is a collection of security technologies, procedures, processes and policies that collectively provide a framework for addressing, using cryptography, the fundamental security issues of privacy, authentication, integrity, non-repudiation and access control in data communication.
In a bid to involve various stakeholders in the process of developing the blueprint and implementation strategies, Angaye said the agency, last year, inaugurated National PKI Committee with members drawn from various institutions in the public and private sectors.
The NITDA boss said, "Nigeria cannot be left behind in this emerging scenario, especially if we intend to realise the goal of Vision 20 2020, which is to be among the top 20 economies in the world by the year 2020.
"With the rate of uncontrolled infiltration and proliferation in the use of cyberspace for communication, transaction, among others, it has become imperative to develop a sustainable and secure platform for cyber accessibility, secured transaction and credible identity."
