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The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has unveiled a proposal that could see federal government salaries, pensions and social welfare benefits paid through the eNaira platform as part of efforts to expand the adoption of the country’s digital currency.
The proposal is contained in the Nigeria Payments System Vision 2028 (PSV2028), a roadmap developed by the apex bank to transform the eNaira from a pilot project into a core payment channel for both public and private sector transactions.
Under the plan, government-to-person payments, payroll processing, offline transactions and support for micro-enterprises have been identified as key use cases for the Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC).
The CBN stated that it would review the existing CBDC framework to align it with operational realities and market demands, noting that the eNaira should transition from a pilot scheme to a major payment rail within the nation’s financial ecosystem.
According to the document, government salaries, pensions, conditional cash transfers and other public-sector disbursements could eventually be channelled through the digital currency platform to improve payment efficiency and accelerate adoption.
The apex bank also highlighted the eNaira’s programmable-money capabilities, which could allow for features such as purpose-specific spending, time-bound transactions, payment splitting and the creation of sub-wallets.
“The programmable money feature of digital currency could have additional features such as time limits, purpose-specific usage, splitting payments, sub-wallets, among others,” the document stated.
CBN Governor, Olayemi Cardoso, said PSV2028 was designed to strengthen Nigeria’s position as a leading digital payments market by promoting efficiency, resilience and financial inclusion.
He said the strategy prioritises the modernisation of payment infrastructure, strengthening of regulatory and supervisory frameworks, increased adoption of digital financial services and greater collaboration among stakeholders.
Also speaking, the CBN Deputy Governor for Economic Policy, Dr Muhammad Abdullahi, said the vision seeks to deepen existing payment innovations while exploring emerging technologies capable of expanding access to quality financial services.
Despite recording millions of wallet registrations and transactions valued at about N22 billion since its launch in October 2021, the CBN acknowledged that the eNaira has yet to achieve widespread acceptance in everyday transactions.
The bank attributed the low adoption rate to limited merchant acceptance, weak integration with banking and fintech platforms, and the absence of cross-border CBDC payment corridors.
To address these challenges, the CBN said it plans to reposition the eNaira for government payments, remittances and trade settlements, while opening application programming interfaces (APIs) to encourage fintech integration.
The apex bank also disclosed plans to launch bilateral CBDC corridor pilots with key trade and remittance partners to facilitate cross-border transactions and boost the digital currency’s relevance in international payments.
The initiative forms part of broader efforts by the CBN to modernise Nigeria’s payment system and leverage emerging technologies to drive financial inclusion and economic growth.
