The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has upgraded the eNaira by introducing a chip-enabled Near Field Communication (NFC) device into the eNaira.
The NFC feature will enhance the use of the eNaira by Nigerian without smart phones or internet access. NFC is a short-range high frequency wireless communication technology that enables the exchange of data between devices of over a 10 cm distance. With the introduction of NFC, eNaira wallet owners can transact financial businesses with little or no human contact with the aid of tags attached to their phones.
Speaking at the University of Abuja, where officials of the CBN went to promote the eNaira’s adoption by tertiary institution students, Mr. Joseph Angaye, a Deputy Director at the bank, said the CBN has decided to ramp up the campaign to engage students in the use of the eNaira. The eNaira, he said, will provide additional services that are not available in the system like facilitating payment even when there’s no network” which is why they have introduced the NFC feature.