As part of its digital transformation process, the Ethiopian government is investing in digital identification. The new project in that line is an e-passport initiative. 

On Wednesday, December 13, the Ethiopian Immigration and Citizenship Services (ICS) and Toppan Gravity Ethiopia –a joint venture between Ethiopian Investment Holdings, Toppan Group, Berhanena Selam Printing Enterprise, and Educational Materials Production and Distribution Enterprise– officially signed a supply and services agreement to begin work on the new Ethiopian e-passport. The aim is to provide the country with a new, more secure travel document.

"This partnership marks a significant stride in modernizing Ethiopia's passport system, offering enhanced security features and improved efficiency," reads a tweet by the Immigration and Citizenship Services.  

In recent years, Ethiopia has implemented several digital projects aimed at improving population identification.  For instance, it set up the Fayda, a World Bank-supported program aimed at registering 90 million people by 2025. A similar program has also been set up to provide digital identification for 90,000 refugees and returnees on Ethiopian soil.

In a country that is immense in size and torn by internal conflicts between various ethnic groups, the introduction of the e-passport should significantly reduce the risk of identity forgery and fraud, thanks to additional levels of identity verification.

Adoni Conrad Quenum