Ethiopia begins Tech5 biometrics trial for MOSIP-based national ID

The Ethiopian government’s National ID Program (NIDP) has partnered with Tech5 on a limited pilot of biometrics and other technologies to support enrollment, authentication, and digital ID issuance.

Tech5 has also been named an international partner and technology supplier for the NDIP, which at its core utilizes the MOSIP-based Fayida identity management system.

The biometrics provider has been integrating its technology with the open-source modular system for foundational digital ID since 2019.

Under the pilot program, participating individuals can provide their biometric and demographic data to enroll in the system. Fingerprint and face biometrics data quality is assessed with the Tech5 SDK, and deduplicated with a 1:N check with T5-ABIS BE. Tech5’s T5-Idencode platform has been integrated with MOSIP for digital ID generation, and individuals issued a digital ID in an electronic or printed format, according to the announcement.

“This entire program is aimed at creating and implementing a Foundational Digital ID system for Ethiopia at the national level, the culmination of which results in the enrollment of millions of consenting individuals as part of national priority use-cases in the banking, insurance, education, residential services and other sectors,” comments Yodahe Zemichael, executive director of the NID Program. “We are glad to partner with the TECH5 team, who have demonstrated innovative solutions in the biometrics industry.”

The announcement also states that only the minimum data necessary is stored and secured by the NIDP, with individuals retaining ownership and management control over it.

“We are fully supporting the Ethiopian National ID Program with our expertise and latest technologies because we share the same principles of inclusion that provide individuals with a universal digital identity that is easily accessible and controlled solely by them,” says Machiel van der Harst, co-founder and CEO of Tech5.

Zetes accredited by MOSIP

Zetes has successfully completed the requirements for participation in the MOSIP Partner Programme (MPP), becoming accredited to both partner levels to join the ecosystem for trustworthy, secure, efficient and interoperable foundational digital ID.

The MPP includes solution providers, who are otherwise known as commercial or dissemination partners, and another category for technology or service partners.

“We’re very happy to have joined the MOSIP programme. Supporting governments in providing their citizens with highly secure and reliable ID’s is the core of Zetes’ activity,” states Zetes People ID Senior Business Advisor Stephan Van Hoof. “Being a system integrator, we can assist them with the implementation and customization, as well as with the country specific ID-linked services on which national foundational IDs are built.”

“Zetes joins a rapidly growing MOSIP community of system integrators, biometric service providers, and technology consultants,” comments MOSIP Chief Dissemination Officer Nagarajan Santhanam. “We are confident that with its experience and reputation Zetes will be able to implement effective foundational ID system offerings for countries. We are looking forward to work on exciting projects with their team of experts.”

Article Topics

Africa  |  biometric data  |  biometrics  |  data protection  |  digital identity  |  Ethiopia  |  Ethiopia National ID Program (NIDP)  |  identity management  |  MOSIP (Modular Open Source Identity Platform)  |  national ID  |  TECH5  |  Zetes