Chidimma Uchegbu
The Nigerian higher education institutions have achieved a major breakthrough in global digital trust identity infrastructure following the admission of the Nigerian Research and Education Network (NgREN) into the Education Global Authentication Infrastructure (eduGAIN).
NgREN announced the development on Tuesday after its Managing Director, Dr Joshua Atah, signed the declaration of membership.
The eduGAIN inter-federation service links identity federations worldwide, making it easier for the international research and education community to access content, services and resources.
The platform includes participants from more than 100 countries and over 10,000 Identity and Service Providers.
In a statement, Dr Atah said the milestone would open up expanded collaboration opportunities for Nigerian institutions, provide secure access to international academic resources, and strengthen digital trust frameworks with partners across the global academic community. He noted that the development firmly places Nigeria’s higher education system on the global map, granting institutions broader access to international services and resources.
The statement explained that the admission followed a comprehensive assessment and voting procedure conducted by the eduGAIN Assembly.
Operating under the auspices of GÉANT, eduGAIN connects identity federations across the globe to ensure secure, trusted and seamless cross-border access to online research and education services. With the membership, Nigerian universities and research institutions federated under NgREN can now participate fully in the global inter-federation ecosystem.
Dr Atah also conveyed NgREN’s appreciation to the eduGAIN Chair, Steering Committee and Assembly Members for what he described as their diligence in evaluating and approving the federation’s application.
He said, “As Nigeria’s National Research and Education Network, NgREN remains committed to strengthening digital trust identity, enabling secure federated access, and supporting innovation across the higher education and research ecosystem.”
NgREN serves as Nigeria’s national research and education network, providing advanced ICT infrastructure, identity federation services and collaborative platforms to universities and research institutions nationwide. It ensures that research institutions in Nigeria can operate at the frontiers of knowledge and innovation. By providing reliable connectivity, cloud hosting, and digital identity services.
NgREN is helping educational and research institutions translate their research into real-world impact.
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