World Bank document reveals $350M in donor funding for Ethiopia’s national digital ID

A planning document for Ethiopia’s Fayda ID digital identity supplied to the World Bank reveals that the program has been granted US$350 in funding to supplement its public investment.

Details are contained in a Labor Management Procedures (LMP) document by the Ethiopia’s National ID Program (NIDP).

The LMP document is intended to establish rules for the relationship between the digital identity project and the people who work for it, including mechanisms for reporting and resolving grievances.

In the course of doing so, it reveals a significant breadth of information about the project’s inner workings.

Fayda costs and staff

Five components of the country’s Digital ID for Inclusion and Services program are identified in the report.

The International Development Association (IDA) has earmarked $16 million and the Window Host Communities and Refugees, an IDA program, is contributing $5 million for a total of $21 million allocated to building institutions and trust. The technical infrastructure has been allocated $68 million, and $214 million has been set aside for inclusive issuance. The groups contributed $35 million for improved service delivery, and another $12 million for project management. All $350 million comes from the IDA, with $50 million allocated through its World Host Communities and Refugees program.

The document lists the positions of some 119 people working on the project, with registration officers as the largest group among them, plus an additional 335 registration officers of partners.

The risks to project employees could include resistance from members of the pubic who do not understand the technology NIDP uses, the LMP document states. Most of the other risks identified are common to demanding jobs around the world.

The document also notes steps to address any potential disputes between staff and vendor partners, which so far in the project include Tech5 and (through local partner ArifPay) IrisGuard.

Ethiopia’s goal is to enroll all citizens for the MOSIP-based digital identity by 2025, and Executive Director Yodahe Zemichael told Biometric Update in an interview on the project last year that it is on track to reach 70 million Ethiopians by then.

The proposal was approved by the World Bank on December 13, 2023.

This post was updated at 11:12am Eastern on December 18, 2023 to clarify funding details.

Article Topics

Africa  |  biometrics  |  digital ID  |  Ethiopia  |  Ethiopia National ID Program (NIDP)  |  Fayda  |  funding  |  national ID  |  World Bank