Seamfix, an digital identity solutions provider, has secured $4.5 million to scale the technology infrastructure, improve data flow crucial for continental trade and integration, and kickstart the expansion of its digital ID and credential services into five new African countries.

The funding round was from Alitheia IDF, a gender lens investing fund, in a private equity funding round and will help the firm to expand its services to Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Ethiopia, and Uganda.  Seamfix is also welcoming two new board members – Tokunboh Ishmael and Frank Atube. Tokunboh is the Co-founder and Principal Partner of Alitheia Capital and a global voice for wealth creation and transformational impact.

According to Chimezie Emewulu, Group CEO, and co-founder of Seamfix, “ This investment not only validates our vision but also empowers us to expand our reach and innovate further. We are thankful for the support from Alitheia IDF and their commitment to our mission, and we are excited to lead the charge in shaping a digitally inclusive Africa.”

Starting in Nigeria, Seamfix provides identity creation, verification and transaction accreditation solutions for large organisations and government agencies across multiple African countries. Digital ID and verification systems are crucial to unlocking significant economic value across Africa’s growing and increasingly digital societies. From financial participation and efficiency in government services to public health and job creation, digital ID and verification systems are a fundamental driver of economic growth on the continent.

Since the company was founded by Chimezie Emewulu and Chibuzor Onwurah, Seamfix has been at the cutting edge of delivering end-to-end digital ID and credentials solutions for connecting businesses and individuals to the disparate identity databases in Africa and across the world. The company has delivered a wide range of solutions for organizations such as Veremark, Nigeria’s National Identity Management Commission [NIMC], telcos (MTN, Glo, Airtel and 9 Mobile), financial institutions (United Bank for Africa, Interswitch and Union Bank) and more, enabling them and their customers globally to seamlessly create, verify and access trusted digital identities and services.

Seamfix’s key achievements include the successful development of a digital solution enabling widespread access to National Identification Numbers (NINs) for more than 100 million Nigerians. Seamfix also supported Nigerian telecommunications services providers, to register and verify a database of over 200 million Subscriber Identification Modules (SIMs) to comply with Nigerian Communications Commission regulations. Seamfix currently works with major telcos across Africa (Nigeria, Côte D’Ivoire, Liberia, Sudan, Guinea-Bissau and more) on their SIM registration, verification and linkage to national identities. Thousands of fintechs and SMEs rely on Seamfix’s verification APIs for KYC checks during customer onboarding and employee background checks.

Seamfix’s digital credential platform has also transformed the credential issuance and certification process for multiple universities across Africa, powering them to issue instantly verifiable credentials and transforming the process of certifying credentials such as student transcripts and other official documents from over 6 months to a matter of days. This transformation has also been responsible for more than 2,000 per cent growth in internally generated revenue at these universities.

Frank has experience in leading cross functional teams across Project & Product Management, Business Analysis, Sales & Marketing, Customer experience and Engineering. He has functioned in many capacities in Seamfix including Head of Product Management, Head of Growth and most recently Chief Operating Officer. Frank has been critical to the successes Seamfix has recorded especially in terms of growth in revenue, profitability and customer acquisition.

Tokunboh Ishmael, Principal Partner, Alitheia IDF, said “in an increasingly digital-first world where digital platforms are enabling inclusion and broadening access to essential services, digital IDs are key to accessing opportunities. According to a recent McKinsey report, such access can result in the unlocking of up to 70% of an economy’s full economic potential and an additional 6% of GDP. This is particularly pertinent, when you consider that studies show that low-income women in emerging economies are less likely to have a digital ID, which further hinders their ability to participate in economic value creation and access opportunities. With this investment Alitheia IDF is working with Seamfix to amplify its work in enabling millions of women to participate in the African economy and reach their full potential by providing crucial identification services and empowering businesses across the continent to scale”