Ethiopia to streamline public procurement system with Fayda digital ID

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between the Ethiopia National ID Program (NIDP) and the Public Procurement and Property Authority of Ethiopia with the aim of facilitating procurement procedures in the country.

Per an announcement issued on October 10, the move means that the digital ID will be integrated with the country’s Electronic Government Procedure (EGP) system, the goal being to “improving efficiency and security, ensuring that all federal procurement entities, businesses, regulators, and financial institutions adopt this unified approach.”

The parties believe this is a significant step forward in the country’s quest for transparency and accountability in the public procurement system.

With the integration, authorities hope “to ensure consistency in transactions and improve identity verification processes, reducing the risk of fraud.”

The signing of the partnership between the NIDP and the Public Procurement Authority is part of the country’s push to integrate its digital ID into as many sectors of public life as possible so as to streamline processes and simplify the way citizens get access to a variegation of services.

Just last week, the NIDP authorities also held consultations with stakeholders in the justice sector to see how the digital ID can be integrated into the justice system in order to modernize the way legal services are dispensed.

This month, a special enrollment drive was launched in Addis Ababa to issue the Fayda to many more inhabitants of sub cities and districts of the capital.

As of today, NIDP says there are 9.1 million registrations, more than 351,000 authentications and 33 integrated agencies.

While Ethiopia intends to expand the use of digital ID for public services in line with a digital government strategy which it intends to roll out, the country is also paying attention to issues of cybersecurity.

At the recent 2024 GITEX exposition in Dubai, the deputy Director General of the Information Network Security Administration (INSA), Daniel Guta, said the country considers cybersecurity as a cornerstone of its digital transformation strategy.

In a session dedicated to discussing Ethiopia’s digital transformation and cybersecurity, Guta said INSA was taking every necessary step to ensure the safety of the country’s digital economy, ENA reports.

These steps, the official says, include the putting in place of necessary digital infrastructure, having the right legal and governance frameworks, and building vital partnership and collaborations.

Early this year, a blog article by the World Economic Forum discussed the Ethiopia digital ID project, the gains it portends for the economy and the hurdles that must be dealt with in order to maximize its impact on the economy.

The suggestions included ramping up efforts to close up the digital divide in the country, building the right infrastructure and establishing fruitful technical, financial and technological partnerships.

Article Topics

biometric enrollment  |  cybersecurity  |  digital ID  |  Ethiopia  |  Ethiopia National ID Program (NIDP)  |  Fayda  |  government purchasing  |  government services