Ethio Telecom, the state-owned telecom provider, has recently announced the official launch of national digital ID registration in 29 cities, including Addis Ababa.

The plan is to distribute this digital ID to 90 million citizens nationwide by 2028. Ethio Telecom will register an average of 1 million citizens per month, making it accessible to 32 million citizens, which fulfills 36% of the national plan.

Frehiwot Tamru, CEO of Ethio Telecom, highlighted that the purpose of this initiative is to provide new products and services to citizens, enhance customer service, facilitate e-commerce transactions, promote job creation, offer small loans without collateral to increase financial inclusion, and improve credit transactions. He emphasized that this will also raise citizens’ credit scores and update their lifestyles through digital services, ultimately streamlining businesses.

During the official launch ceremony, Frehiwot Tamru pointed out that the service centers, franchise centers, and agents located throughout the country, along with the large data center, cloud service, and digital infrastructure that have been developed, will create an enabling environment for digital identification.

This program aims to benefit the undocumented sections of the community by providing them with access to the service through their respective providers, thus simplifying the tedious process.