Parliament Approves Digital ID Law

The Ethiopian House of People’s Representatives has approved the Digital Identity Proclamation with a majority vote, marking a significant step towards modernizing the nation’s identification system.

The government aims to register all eligible adults among its 119 million population with a biometric digital ID by the end of 2025, improving access to healthcare, banking, and boosting birth registrations.

The Chairman of the Standing Committee on Law and Justice, proposed the resolution, emphasizing the importance of a comprehensive, consistent, and reliable digital ID system. The system, initially announced in 2021 and backed by the World Bank, aims to securely store residents’ information, providing a legal basis for the use of digital IDs in various services.

Read More- Why the Ethiopian Economy Needs a National ID?

The digital ID system, which includes an individual’s name, gender, iris scan, and fingerprints, is expected to enhance social and economic rights and create favorable conditions for more transparent and accountable services provided by the government and other institutions.

According to the National ID Program, over 1.4 million people have registered for the IDs so far.