PM Abiy Bets on Mesob: Ethiopia’s Latest Push for a Paperless Public Sector

A one-stop service center that integrates services from 12 federal government agencies, dubbed Mesob, was inaugurated by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD) yesterday. The Center, which is a pilot project for a broader national ambition, is set to provide 41 public services in a paperless, fully digital process. Licensing and digital ID registration are a few of the initial services highlighted by the statement from the Prime Minister’s Office.

Abiy informed parliamentarians last month that Mesob, which refers to an Ethiopian culinary tradition where several meals are featured on a single platter, would be inaugurated in the coming few weeks. He had also stated that all ministries would be incorporated in due course during the half-year budgetary address.

The Prime Minister had also indicated that the project had been locally developed by the Civil Service Commission and the Ministry of Planning and Development. He added the days of going to the revenues ministry to pay taxes, the trade ministry to obtain a business license, and the bank to get money would be replaced by the Mesob system.

Digitization of public services has been a cornerstone of Ethiopia’s civil service reform over the past few years. Public procurements, several utility payments in the capital, and even fuel payments have become digitized. As the PM noted, these initiatives were crucial in virtually assisting and replacing several public functions to enhance efficiency and customer service. Ethiopia’s national digital ID project, Fayda, has managed to register a little over 13.5 million people currently while eyeing 70 million for the year.

Last month, the Ministry of Innovation and Technology unveiled the National Business Portal (NBR), which provides step-by-step support for prospective investors in Ethiopia. It includes payment integration via Telebirr and CBE Birr, complaint management, and case tracking capacities. These projects could go a long way in improving Ethiopia’s overall ease in doing business, as the country was ranked 159^th out of 190 countries in the last World Bank index assessing the subject.

However, Ethiopia may have a long way to go as the country was ranked 24th from the bottom out of 193 countries by a United Nations E-government development report last year. While the country climbed 10 positions from its previous rank of 179 in the 13th edition of the report, it remains categorized in the lower-middle tier with a minimum first-level rating.