Wondering How the NIPOST Address Verification System (AVS) Works? Here is it Explained

The NIPOST Address Verification System was created to solve Nigeria’s unique addressing challenges which, in turn, has made online crime easy to perpetuate and e-commerce logistics pretty hard by Verifying any physical address in Nigeria at any time.

VIDEO:
Last week, @NIPOSTNIG launched the Address Verification System. Post-Master General Bisi Adegbuyi invites Nigerian youths to get involved in the process, and get paid simply from "verifying addresses", using only a simple smartphone and access to the internet.#NewNipost pic.twitter.com/9vrsxl6eKQ

— Government of Nigeria (@NigeriaGov) September 4, 2018

The NIPOST AVS solution seeks to create a centralised and up-to-date database of physical addresses and the details of their occupants in order to bridge the gap in data verification. It has built on a highly secure and reliable platform powered by Youverify, the Village Capital PayPal Fintech Accelerator programme winner.

The solution, which was the winner of the of the seventh annual World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Prizes contest for 2018, was launched last week as part of the #NewNIPOST initiative.

How it Works

The first step is to contact NIPOST through https://verify.nipost.gov.ng to register as an on-field verification or Business partner, an account will be provisioned for you which will be used to logon to  https://avs.nipost.gov.ng portal. Here, you can upload the details you intend to verify or use the API (Application Programming Interface)  to integrate into your system.

Next, the details (name, address, picture etc.) will be sent to a field agent closest to the point of verification, using the Uber model.

As soon as the assigned agent has been contacted, they will visit the location to verify from people around and not the person being verified (with the aim to verify and not investigate too!). After this, the agent will fill out feedback notes on his app.

This will be key in determining if the address or person is truly verifiable.

Quality Control

You may be wondering: what if the agent arbitrarily fills out a report without visiting the location?

Well, to avoid false reports, the app creators have included a feature called Geotagging to avoid fictitious reports. With this feature, the agent is required to tag the location being verified within a distance of at least 20 meters. If this is not done, the report will be red-flagged.

The agent is also required to take a picture of the location as well as append an electronic signature.

Not Verifiable Addresses

There are 3 main reasons why an address will not be verified
1 – Address does not exist
2 – Address is not accessible
3 – The candidate does not live there

Irrespective of this reasons, the agent still has to leave notes, sign and geotag but taking an image is not required.

The AVS Works Off-line!

Knowing that agents may have to visit areas with poor internet network service, the app has been designed to work offline. It is designed to allow the agents to sign in, Geo-tag and take pictures off-line. It will then synchronize as soon as it is connected to an internet network.

Who Should Use the NIPOST AVS

The most notable users of the AVS platform are the banks, who have the daunting task of verifying their customers in a bid to actualize the CBN’s Know Your Customer (KYC) mandate. Fintech companies will also find the platform useful for the same purpose.

https://twitter.com/NIPOSTNIG/status/1035496609679859713

Other users include cab-hailing companies who will have to verify their drivers, corporate organizations that need to verify new employees and individuals who need to verify the personal details of their domestic staff (drivers, cooks, nannies etc.)

Perhaps, the biggest beneficiary will be the ecommerce sector:

Got a package through @NIPOSTNIG yesterday. Not bad at all. Delivery guy was diligent and very courteous. #ThereIsHope

— Chinedu Nwagu (@guvyves) September 4, 2018

Overall, the AVS platform will be instrumental in the improvement of the national security infrastructure by creating a centralized and up-to-date database of physical addresses and details of their occupants. It also has the capacity to create hundreds of thousands of jobs in a commercially sustainable manner, as field agents.

Getting the app

You can download the Android and iOS versions of the app. However, you will not be able to login into your account except a provision is made for you by NIPOST or their Field Agent partners.