Ethiopia reveals strategy behind digital ID progress as ID4Africa 2025 opens

Ethiopia’s Fayda digital ID program successes were in the spotlight on the first day of ID4Africa 2025 in the country’s capital Addis Ababa. A panel discussion moderated by the Executive Director of the National Digital ID program (NIDP), Yodahe Zemichael, explored the tough, yet rewarding journey of a MOSIP-based identity program which now has more than 15 million citizens registered for it. He also repeated the government’s commitment to delivering Fayda to all Ethiopians by 2027.

In the session which was part of a broader discussion about Africa’s identity progress, a triad of speakers, namely Dr Belete Molla of the Ethiopian Ministry of Innovation and Technologies; Tigist Hamid Mohammed of the Information Network Security Agency (INSA), and Yonas Alemayehu of the Addis Ababa City Administration Civil Registration and Residency Service Agency (CRRSA), took turns to explain what makes the Ethiopia digital ID program tick since its launch.

From robust political will, workable regulatory and governance frameworks, and considerable financing, the speakers were unanimous that these and many other factors have greatly contributed to providing the necessary leverage for the ID system to yield fruits. With an increasing number of registrants who include citizens and legal residents, the Fayda digital ID has proven to be a pillar on which rest Ethiopia’s digital transformation and modernization efforts, Molla noted.

“There is no better time than now to reflect on the achievements and gaps of Digital Ethiopia 2025, as we approach the end of its five-year implementation in June,” he said.

“As we implement our digital ID program, we must ensure that it is grounded in ethical considerations. The Digital Ethiopia 2025 strategy is bold and ambitious. But beyond being a roadmap, it represents a national commitment which is about redefining and reimagining how the Ethiopian state, society, and economy adapt to the digital age.”

Zemichael positions Fayda as a key pillar in the “Ethiopia Stack,” and notes that the country’s authentication system now serves 55 service providers. Service delivery time has been cut by up to 60 percent, he said.

Robust collaboration as the driving force

One other thing the speakers highlighted as a major contributing factor to the Fayda ID advancement is cross agency collaboration and strategic partnerships which are being established with private sector entities, while existing ones continue to be expanded.

This, they explained, is leading not only to growing adoption of the digital ID as a result of its continuous integration with public and private sector services, but is also taking the country closer towards realizing the objectives of the Digital Ethiopia 2025 strategy.

“In terms of enablers, high-level political commitment has been critical. So has the whole-of-government approach. Five years ago, agencies operated in silos, but today, we have structures like inter-ministerial committees and coordination frameworks that promote collaboration. Legal frameworks are also being developed to support this,” Molla explained.

Other aspects explained as also being behind the Fayda ID success include increased investment in infrastructure, efforts to ensure the highest standards of privacy and security, as well as capacity building involving important stakeholders from different sectors.

Civil registration, a cornerstone

Alemayehu also made the connection between the digital ID program and the country’s smart cities initiative, insisting that digital ID is one of its pillars. He also noted the efforts of the CRRSA in driving up civil registration which is a key component of the digital identification ecosystem.

“Yes, birth registration is the cornerstone of any identity management platform. I believe the way Ethiopia is implementing both at the same time can actually serve as a model,” Alemayehu stated.

“Addis Ababa, for instance, has adopted a new civil and family registration law. This enables both platforms, that is civil registration and digital ID, to work together in a way that strengthens the overall digital ID system. Our agency is responsible for civil registration across the city. We’ve launched more than 157 one-stop service centers for birth and death registration.”

Alemayehu added: “We’ve also rolled out a resident ID platform that’s integrated with civil registration. So, I’d say the Addis Ababa case can serve as a small but strong example of how civil registration and residency services can be effectively integrated when building a digital ID system.”

Improving financial inclusion

While the digital ID has facilitated access to services for holders, it is also improving financial inclusion in the country, said Molla.

“In digital payments, we’ve seen great progress. With Ethio Telecom and Safaricom now in operation, around 86 to 90 million people are using mobile devices for digital transactions. This is a vital aspect of empowerment. Additionally, about 52 million people are now using internet services,” he disclosed.

Looking ahead, the Ethiopia ID discussants said despite the early impact already created, the real deal is just getting started, emphasizing the government’s objectives of issuing the digital ID to every adult citizen in the country.

They described Ethiopia’s digital ID journey as work that may never be complete, but noted that “we must always adapt and move forward.”

Article Topics

biometrics  |  civil registration  |  digital ID  |  Ethiopia  |  Ethiopia National ID Program (NIDP)  |  financial inclusion  |  ID4Africa  |  ID4Africa 2025  |  national ID