Ethiopia’s National ID Program, now registering more than 30 million people, is one of the most ambitious digital infrastructure projects in the country’s recent history.
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Ethiopia’s National ID Program, now registering more than 30 million people, is one of the most ambitious digital infrastructure projects in the country’s recent history. Unlike a simple card, it combines biometric systems, software platforms, data centers, legal frameworks, and public–private partnerships to create a foundational digital identity, known officially as Fayda ID..
The Program is administered by the National ID Program Office (NIDP) under the Office of the Prime Minister and seeks to provide every resident and citizen with a unique digital identity number. This initiative is rooted in Ethiopia’s Digital Ethiopia 2025 strategy, which identifies a universal digital identity as essential for expanding e-government services, financial inclusion, and integrated digital services across sectors.
In March 2023, the Ethiopian Parliament passed Proclamation No. 1284/2023, formally establishing the legal basis for the digital ID system and its governance, which sets out foundational principles such as privacy, minimal data collection, and protection of individual rights. Under these principles, only necessary demographic and biometric data are gathered, such as full name, date of birth, and fingerprints, while sensitive information such as ethnicity or religion is not collected. By early 2026, the program had already enrolled tens of millions of residents and aims to register up to 90 million people by 2028.
Core Technology Stack
1. MOSIP: The Open-Source Identity Engine
The core platform of Ethiopia’s digital ID infrastructure is the India-based Modular Open Source Identity Platform (MOSIP). Originally developed with support from a global consortium of digital public good advocates, MOSIP provides a scalable identity management system that Ethiopia customized for local needs. It handles:
Enrollment
Biometric de-duplication
Unique ID generation
Authentication
System integration
MOSIP’s open-source design allows Ethiopia to avoid being locked into proprietary vendor systems, supports local adaptation, and provides a compliant, trusted identity core.
2. Biometric Engines and Enrollment Tools
In partnership with TECH5, an international biometrics technology provider, Ethiopia built the biometric components of its ID system. TECH5 technologies include:
T5 ABIS-BE: A biometric matching engine combining face, fingerprint, and iris recognition for identification and de-duplication.
T5-IDencode: A platform for issuing digital IDs.
SDKs and capture tools for quality control during enrollment.
The enrollment process captures high-quality biometric and demographic data, checks for duplicates in real time, and generates a unique digital identity for each registrant. These systems are integrated directly into the MOSIP core, bridging global open standards and Ethiopia’s national database.
Enrollment and Physical Infrastructure
The National ID rollout relies on a nationwide registration network, combining fixed centers and mobile units. Several key partners support this infrastructure:
Ethio Telecom, the state-owned telecom provider, uses its service centers to register citizens and handle millions of enrollments per month. It leverages its existing digital infrastructure, such as data centers, cloud services, and network connectivity, to scale the effort.
Additional registration kits are procured through competitive tenders. These include biometric capture devices (cameras, fingerprint scanners, iris scanners) compatible with the MOSIP platform. Across regions of Ethiopia, the program has established multiple registration hubs, including permanent centers and mobile units, to ensure coverage across urban and rural areas.
Funding and Costs
The scale of Ethiopia’s digital ID project is reflected in its multi-hundred-million-dollar budget. The rollout of the digital ID program to 70 million people will take about $40 - $50 million in hardware and software procurements. The World Bank has committed approximately USD 350 million to support the program, including funds for technical infrastructure, inclusive issuance services, and project management.
Around USD 68 million is allocated for technical infrastructure.
Over USD 214 million supports inclusive issuance, focusing on getting IDs into people’s hands.
Additional sums fund institutional strengthening and service delivery improvements.
Ethiopia is also building enabling services atop the foundational ID, notably, Fayda Wallet, a digital identity wallet co-developed with TECH5 and Visa to facilitate secure payments and financial transactions. It supports smartphone and non-smartphone users through agent-based access. Integration with banks enables customers to open accounts or authenticate services using their digital IDs without traditional documentation, advancing financial inclusion and formal sector participation.
Slowly but surely, the National ID project is set to encompass nearly all Ethiopians. It is creating a centralized identification system in which a person’s legal presence (whether financial, administrative, or documentary) can be verified and traced across institutions. Once fully implemented, the ID will become the gateway through which individuals interact with banks, schools, hospitals, telecom services, tax authorities, and social protection programs.
This will have far-reaching consequences. On the positive side, it promises to reduce duplication, fraud, and bureaucratic friction, making public services more efficient and expanding access to formal finance for millions who were previously invisible to the state. At the same time, centralization concentrates informational power. Decisions about who can access data, how long it is stored, and how it is shared will affect citizens’ everyday lives in largely irreversible ways. The National ID is a reconfiguration of the relationship between the state, markets, and the individual, one that will define how power, inclusion, and accountability are exercised in Ethiopia’s digital future.
