Ethiopia hopes to take digital ID issuance to 63M by year-end

As part of a plan to expand the issuance of digital ID in Ethiopia and reach the 90 million target by 2027, the National ID Program (NIDP) says its objective is to have at last 63 million IDs issued before this year runs out.

This will place the ID authority in a better position to attain its ambitions, Ethio Negari quotes its Executive Director, Yodahe Zemichael, as saying. He said already, the Fayda has been issued to 23 million people, and their hope is to get it to an additional 40 million by the close of the year.

Yodahe spoke elaborately about their plans of expanding the Fayda digital ID with Biometric Update in an interview in May.

Many citizens in rural Ethiopia say they are expecting the digital ID to come to their communities especially as it is increasingly being required for access to a number of government services including social protection benefits.

One resident interviewed in the town of Dima in Gambella region, said the Fayda ID registration was yet to begin there.

The NIDP Executive Director is quoted as assuring that measures have been taken to ensure that digital ID registration is effective in all the regions and city administrations of the country.

“In the past, we were limited to cities. Now, we’ve expanded to rural kebeles—even those without electricity or roads. This wider outreach allows us to reach our 40-million target,” Yodahe says. He added that among other things, more registration centers and enrollment equipment have been deployed to many more locations in the country.

Yodahe also explained that strategies are being put in place by NIDP to facilitate inclusive enrollment of Ethiopians, including those who are outside formal systems like banking, telecoms, taxation and employment.

To strengthen its digital inclusion push, the Ethiopian government was also recently advised to reform the telecoms sector in order to expand access to connectivity services.

Although NIDP’s digital transformation efforts may be facing challenges, it has modelled the Fayda digital ID in a way that’s attracting attention from across the continent. Recently, the ID authority signed a partnership deal with SMART Zambia to share ideas on digital ID implementation.

Zambia, which considers the Fayda as exemplary, is in the process of building the core components of its own digital public infrastructure with funding support from the World Bank to the tune of over $120 million.

Article Topics

Africa  |  biometric enrollment  |  digital ID  |  Ethiopia  |  Ethiopia National ID Program (NIDP)  |  Fayda