Ethiopia digitizes over 900 public services as digital govt strategy makes progress

Digital transformation in Ethiopia is on steady progress as the government has announced that more than 900 public services can now be accessed digitally. This milestone is one of the fruits of the Digital Ethiopia 2025 Strategy implementation, ENA reports.

The outlet quotes a senior official in the Ministry of Innovation and Technology, Seyoum Mengesha, as stating recently that Ethiopia’s digital transformation progress is reflected in the building of the three core components of digital public infrastructure (DPI).

The executive mentioned advancements recorded in the implementation of the Fayda digital ID, a digital payments system, and data interoperability infrastructure, all aimed at facilitating the delivery of services in multiple sectors. This progress is largely attributed to two World Bank-funded projects which are aimed at enhancing Ethiopia’s digital transformation pursuits.

Digital government services can now be accessed via the one-stop-shop platform MESOB which was rolled out nationwide in June. This came after a pilot which was said to be highly successful.

According to Mengesha, efforts have also been made by the country to expand digital connectivity infrastructure including the construction of modern data centers of international standards. These and other infrastructure, he said, have contributed to rendering public service delivery in the country seamless.

The Fayda ID is particularly hailed as the foundational pillar of a new Ethiopia Digital Government Strategy 2025-2030. As of July 29, the digital ID has been issued to 20.8 million people.

Ethio Telecom, the country’s main telecommunications company, has also made substantial contributions to the country’s digital transformation. Its CEO, Frehiwot Tamiru, told ENA of the company’s efforts to expand connectivity services through the deployment of 4G network to 16 cities and 5G services to over 500 towns and cities, reaching a combined 83 million Ethiopians.

As part of the digital transformation drive, efforts have also been made in digitizing procurement and property administration processes, the Director General of the Federal Public Procurement and Property Authority (FPPA), Meseret Meskele, is quoted as saying.

Last year, a GSMA report hailed Ethiopia’s digital transformation efforts, citing the digital economy as a major contributor to the country’s GDP growth. It said this could bring up to $10.8 billion to Ethiopia’s economy by 2028, thanks to an expected boom in mobile connectivity especially for sectors like agriculture.

The report also recommended that for the country to keep its digital transformation journey on the right rails, it must implement measures to enhance service and device affordability, reform the telecoms sector, expand mobile money services and increase digital skills and further digitize government services.

Article Topics

Digital Ethiopia 2025  |  digital government  |  digital ID  |  digital public infrastructure  |  Ethiopia  |  Ethiopia National ID Program (NIDP)  |  Fayda  |  Modern Ethiopia Service for Organized Benefits (MESOB)