Ethiopia’s digital ID joins sovereign wealth fund as weekly enrollments reach 1M

Ethiopia is accelerating its efforts to reach 90 million digital ID enrollments this year, with the National ID Program (NIDP) registering an estimated one million people every week. As enrollments accumulate, they are also providing the critical mass to generate sustainable revenue.

The enrolment figures were disclosed recently by NIDP Executive Director Yodahe Zemichael during a forum to raise awareness about the importance of the Fayda digital ID, New Business Ethiopia reports.

At the forum, Zemichael revealed that more than 37 million individuals have now been enrolled for the digital ID, and a strategy is in place to nearly triple that number by June. He added that efforts are also being intensified in rural and hard-to-reach areas of the country to ensure that many citizens are served.

As these efforts continue, Fayda has joined the Ethiopian Investment Holdings (EIH) portfolio, Birrmetrics reports. The NIDP joins Ethiopia’s sovereign wealth fund and public enterprise commercialization engine with an authorized capital 10 billion birr (roughly US$64 million) and 2.5 billion birr ($16 million) in paid-up capital.

Zemichael told Birrmetrics that the NIDP has previously operated as a project office, but is in the middle of a transition to operate as a development entity.

As it does so, the fees Fayda is generating from businesses is not just contributing to the national coffers. Project-financed card sourcing is expected to drive down the cost of ID cards from 350 birr to 150 birr ($2.25 to $1) within the next six months.

While soliciting stakeholder support in advancing the digital ID registration process, the NIDP Executive Director particularly urged the media to promote the importance of the initiative.

The Ethiopian government is paying close attention to the evolution of the Fayda project, as it considers it the engine of the country’s digital transformation and a central pillar of the Digital Ethiopia 2030 strategy launched by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed last year.

Apart from streamlining identification, the Fayda digital ID is also vital for accessing a wide range of services in the public and private sectors. Beyond citizens, the digital ID is also said to be making life easier for refugees and other forcibly displaced persons in the country, in a move that is seen as driving social and digital inclusion.

A case study from Integrated Biometrics outlines how the company’s Kojak fingerprint scanners have been instrumental in the registration process for the digital ID. According to the company, the scanners, which are MOSIP-compliant, durable and portable, are used to capture quality fingerprints even when deployed in adverse weather conditions.

Article Topics

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