Precious Nwonu, Enugu

The Federal Government has launched a new National Digital Alphanumeric Postcode System designed to improve the identification of locations and make it easier for Nigerians and businesses to access services.

The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, announced the launch in a post on X on Thursday, urging Nigerians to locate and begin using their new digital postcodes.

The system, operated by the Nigerian Postal Service, assigns a unique 11-character digital postcode to every addressable building across the country.

According to the minister, the codes provide a precise, Geographic Information System-enabled reference for identifying locations.

Tijani said the system would help businesses reach customers outside their immediate areas, enable families to provide accurate locations during emergencies and assist government agencies in delivering essential services to communities.

“Every Nigerian deserves to be found. Every business deserves the chance to reach its customers. And every community deserves to be within reach of opportunity,” he said.

The minister added that reliable digital postcodes would provide part of the infrastructure required to support President Bola Tinubu’s target of building a $1tn economy.

“As we work towards (President Bola Tinubu’s) ambition for a $1 trillion economy, we must build the foundations that allow more Nigerians to participate, trade and prosper. This is one of those foundations,” Tijani said.

He encouraged Nigerians to search for their postcodes through the official Digital Postcode website and share the information with family members, friends and businesses.

The system identifies locations through five levels: state, local government area, district, area and building, with each addressable building assigned a unique code.

NIPOST had earlier explained that the digital postcode system would support deliveries, emergency response, public service delivery and e-commerce by providing a standardised reference for locations.