The Federal Government has launched a National Digital Alphanumeric Postcode System, with the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, urging Nigerians to identify and begin using their postcodes.

Tijani announced the launch on Thursday, describing the system as an important step towards making locations across Nigeria easier to identify and connecting people and businesses to services and opportunities.

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

The codes are designed to provide precise, Geographic Information System-enabled references for identifying locations, with the system organised across five levels comprising state, local government area, district, area and building.

Tijani said the new postcodes would enable businesses to reach customers beyond their immediate neighbourhoods and help families provide accurate locations during emergencies.

He added that the system would also assist government agencies in reaching communities with essential services and improve the efficiency of deliveries and other location-based services.

The minister said accurate digital postcodes were part of the infrastructure required to support President Bola Tinubu’s ambition of building a $1 trillion economy by providing a foundation for greater participation in commerce and other economic activities.

“As we work towards the ambition of 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 individual postcodes through the official digital postcode platform and share them with family members, friends and businesses.

NIPOST had earlier said the system would support services including deliveries, emergency response, public service delivery and e-commerce by providing a standardised reference for locations.

The Federal Government expects wider adoption of the digital postcode system to improve address identification and strengthen access to services across the country.