Nigerian higher education institutions have recorded a major milestone in global digital identity infrastructure following the admission of the Nigerian Research and Education Network (NgREN) into the eduGAIN.
The development was announced after NgREN's Managing Director, Dr Joshua Atah, signed the declaration of membership, formally bringing Nigeria into one of the world's largest academic authentication networks.
eduGAIN is an inter-federation service that connects identity federations across the globe, simplifying secure access to digital content, research platforms and collaborative services for universities and research institutions.
The platform brings together over 100 countries and more than 10,000 identity and service providers, creating a trusted global framework for authentication and access management.
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With NgREN's admission, Nigerian universities and research institutions federated under the network can now participate fully in this global ecosystem.
The approval followed a rigorous assessment and voting process conducted by the eduGAIN Assembly, underscoring the credibility and technical readiness of Nigeria's national federation.
In a statement, Dr Atah described the membership as a transformative step for Nigeria's higher education sector.
He noted that the development would significantly enhance collaboration opportunities for Nigerian institutions, while providing secure access to international scholarly resources and strengthening trust frameworks for digital services.
According to him, the achievement firmly positions Nigeria's higher education system on the global stage, enabling institutions to seamlessly access a broad range of international research tools, repositories and learning platforms.
eduGAIN operates under the auspices of GÉANT, the pan-European research and education networking organisation. Through this framework, identity federations worldwide are interconnected, allowing secure and seamless cross-border access to online research and education services.
Dr Atah expressed appreciation to the eduGAIN Chair, Steering Committee and Assembly members for their diligence in reviewing and approving NgREN's application.
He reaffirmed the network's commitment to deepening digital trust identity and expanding secure federated access across Nigeria's research and education landscape.
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"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," he said.
