Nigeria’s SecureID has launched the first EMV-certified smartcard manufacturing plant in Lagos
SecureID’s manufacturing plant is the first world-class Europay, MasterCard and Visa (EMV)-certified smartcard manufacturing plant in sub-Saharan Africa.
Charles Mevaa, vice-president government program at Gemalto, said, “I really appreciate SecureID for the decision to work with us for the supply of world-class manufacturing equipment and related services. This plant is equipped with the state-of-the-art machines and ready to operate with most advanced technology and manufacturing processes capable of delivering high security level requirements. I can confidently say that this polycarbonate plant is a remarkable achievement in Africa despite the complexity of setting up.”
According to a statement by the company, the plant focuses on the polycarbonate card body production and high-security designs. The completion of the new EMV-certified plant allows SecureID to significantly manufacture polycarbonate ID cards, ranging from national IDs, payment cards, SIM cards, of any specifications and standards from around the world, locally.
The plant has been tested by foreign test labs and certified by MasterCard, Visa and Verve for various kinds of smartcards production. It is equipped with ultra modern facilities and employs “Special Security Design” software to design unlimited security features that can be used for any ID documents including currency note, added SecureID.
Omobola Johnson, minister of communication technology in Nigeria described the plant as one of the “most sophisticated” smartcard production units in sub-Saharan Africa.
“Smartcards with embedded chips are key to our digital existence. SIM cards, biometric identity cards, debit and credit cards used extensively and they are becoming part of our personal and corporate staple,” said Johnson.
