The Federal Government may soon begin paying workers’ salaries, pensions and social welfare benefits through the eNaira platform as part of a new strategy by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to drive the adoption of the country’s digital currency.
The proposal is contained in the CBN’s **Nigeria Payments System Vision 2028 (PSV2028)**, a roadmap designed to transform the eNaira from a pilot initiative into a mainstream payment channel for both government and private-sector transactions.
Under the plan, government-to-person payments, payroll processing, pensions, conditional cash transfers and other public-sector disbursements could be routed through the eNaira platform in a bid to improve efficiency, reduce transaction costs and deepen financial inclusion.
The eNaira, launched in October 2021 as Africa’s first Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), was introduced to support a cashless economy and simplify digital transactions. However, despite years of regulatory backing, adoption has remained below expectations.
In the new policy document, the apex bank said it would review the existing CBDC framework to align it with evolving market realities and operational demands.
“Transition CBDC from pilot to core payment rail through defined use cases,” the CBN stated, identifying government payments, offline transactions and micro-enterprise support as key areas for deployment.
The bank also highlighted the digital currency’s programmable-money capabilities, which could allow for advanced features such as spending deadlines, purpose-specific payments, payment splitting and the creation of sub-wallets.
According to the CBN, these innovations could significantly improve the efficiency of public payments while strengthening Nigeria’s financial infrastructure.
CBN Governor, Olayemi Cardoso, said the PSV2028 framework is aimed at consolidating Nigeria’s status as a leading digital payments market by modernising payment infrastructure and accelerating the adoption of digital financial services.
“PSV2028 sets clear strategic priorities: modernising payments infrastructure, strengthening regulatory and supervisory frameworks, accelerating the adoption of digital financial services, and fostering deeper collaboration across stakeholders,” Cardoso stated.
Also speaking, Muhammad Abdullahi said the vision would promote wider adoption of digital currencies and emerging payment technologies within a robust regulatory framework.
The document revealed that although millions of eNaira wallets have been created and transactions worth about N22 billion recorded, widespread usage remains limited due to weak merchant adoption, poor integration with banking and fintech platforms, and the absence of cross-border CBDC payment channels.
To address these challenges, the CBN plans to reposition the eNaira for government payments, remittances and trade settlements while opening its application programming interfaces (APIs) to fintech operators.
The apex bank also disclosed plans to launch bilateral CBDC pilot projects with major trade and remittance partners to facilitate faster and cheaper cross-border transactions.
Further details obtained by this online newspaper indicate that the proposal forms part of a broader effort to modernise Nigeria’s payments ecosystem and keep pace with the global shift towards digital currencies, with more than 130 countries reportedly exploring, piloting or developing their own central bank digital currencies.
