Addis Ababa, August 16, 2022 - On the 14th of August 2022, The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (FDRE) Council of Ministers unanimously approved the Ethiopian Digital Identification Proclamation on its 11th regular meeting.
The lack of a foundational identification system in the country has been challenging for both government and private institutions in uniquely identifying residents in Ethiopia. With the initiative of establishing a Foundational Identification and enabling digital transformation in the country, the National Identification Program is working towards the issuance of Digital ID to residents of Ethiopia. The Digital ID will be able to provide a reliable digital identification system that will ease the identification of residents to access various financial and social services. The National Identification Program has completed its pilot phase where Digital ID has been successfully issued to 125,000 residents and is currently implementing the pre-launch phase which aims to register more than 500,000 citizens and residents.
Following the draft approval of the Digital Identification draft proclamation by the Council of Ministers, the initiative is expected to assure residents' right to identity, boost the opportunities to exercise other rights, build trust in the relationship between government and private sector service providers and base a system of transparency, accountability, and streamlined operations at a national level.
The National ID Program recalls the continued commitment by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa through its Digital Center for Excellence on Digital ID, Trade and Economy, mentioning the Commission’s Executive Secretary Vera Songwe:
‘The successful implementation of this program in Ethiopia sets precedence for other countries in the continent. The ECA continues to partner with the Government of Ethiopia to ensure the realization of the Digital Identity system for inclusive and sustainable development'.
The National ID Program thanked the Executive Secretary’s commitment to the pilot, further noting the wider dividends expected to be gained from the initiative in transforming the digital economy and service delivery of Ethiopia.
The ECA Digital Centre for Excellence extended its congratulations for the Government of Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (FDRE) for this milestone and the effort being made to ensure the digitalization of the economy through Good Digital ID system. UNECA further reassured its commitment to supporting the effective implementation of Digital Identity for Inclusive and Sustainable growth and development in the continent.
Issued by:
Communications Section
Economic Commission for Africa
PO Box 3001
Addis Ababa
Ethiopia
Tel: +251 11 551 5826
E-mail: eca-info@un.org