The Delhi High Court granted bail to the Ethiopian national, noting procedural issues, including the failure to present him before a magistrate within 24 hours after his interception.

Jun 4, 2025, 10:32 am EDT | Ayang Macdonald

Categories Biometrics News  |  Civil / National ID  |  Features and Interviews  |  In Depth

“Digital ID is not optional; it is a necessity.” It is on this conviction that Ethiopia is riding to make sure every citizen and legal resident on its territory has the Fayda digital ID before 2027 runs out.

Getting there is a herculean task, but the Executive Director of the country’s National ID Program (NIDP), Yodahe Zemichael, says there is a well-thought-out blueprint to reach that feat.

In an interview with Biometric Update at the end of the recent ID4Africa 2025 AGM which the country hosted, Zemichael opened up on a wide array of issues including the significance of hosting the ID event, Ethiopia’s ongoing digital ID revolution, the push for digital ID interoperability across Africa to enhance cross-border movements and trade, bridging the inclusion gap and enhancing financial inclusion through the launch of a digital wallet, tackling mistrust and misconceptions among Ethiopians, data privacy and security, and Africa’s technology sovereignty.

Getting there and beyond

As of June 4, Ethiopia has enrolled 16.4 million persons for the Fayda digital ID, and sceptics may consider the 90 million projection in the next two years as overly ambitious. But Zemichael doesn’t think so.

“In Ethiopia, the eligible population is everyone, including children. If 10–30 percent don’t have an ID, then they’re excluded from schemes like social programs or agricultural initiatives. That undermines the value of digital ID. So yes, 90 percent is the minimum,” Zemichael acknowledged.

“Ethiopia has a large population of about 120 million, second only to Nigeria in Africa. So, reaching them isn’t optional. It’s not even about ambition; it’s a necessity. And 90 million out of 120 million isn’t even 90 percent, so we actually have to go beyond that.”

To reach that target and beyond, Zemichael said they have a strategy, part of which is to segment the population into different social groups for easier and targeted reach.

“We have pastoralists, farmers, civil servants, taxpayers, people with bank accounts, and SIM card subscribers. These are large groups. For example, there are 80 million+ active SIM cards in Ethiopia. Not all are unique individuals though because companies have SIMs, and people like me have three. But it’s still a massive number,” he said.

“There are over 40 million unique bank account holders. So, we’re focusing on telecoms and banking, and also agriculture and health. For instance, the health insurance scheme covers 55 million people, mostly households, but still a significant base for mobilization.”

Another measure he says is their alignment with regulations that encourage ID adoption: “The National Bank made ID mandatory for opening new bank accounts in Addis starting in January. This fall, it’ll be extended nationwide. Then, six months later, existing account holders will be required to link their accounts with Fayda.”

“These are big mobilization triggers. When we go into a region, we don’t just register one group like farmers. We register everyone, using these sectors to drive mass mobilization.”

Proactive outreach, data privacy assurances

To double down on their strategy, Zemichael says they are also using a proactive approach, while sensitizing citizens on the importance of the national ID and assuring them about the safety and security of the biometric data collected from them.

Told of an Ethiopian young man Biometric Update spoke to who still feels sceptical about the handling of data collected for the Fayda ID, Zemichael said: “As I mentioned, regulators are making it mandatory, the telco regulator, the banking regulator, and the Ministry of Revenue. If that person is a taxpayer, he’ll mandatorily need it, regardless of whether he embraces it.”

He then emphasized: “People need to understand that this digital ID is foundational for the digital economy. There’s no secret plot to collect fingerprints. Yes, the fingerprint is in our database, but we are the data controllers. The citizen remains the data owner. We’re making this clear: no third party gets access without your consent. It’s like your money in a bank. Just because it’s in the bank doesn’t mean it’s not yours.”

“We’re running proactive awareness campaigns. Frankly, I’m surprised you met someone with that concern. Our surveys show overwhelming positivity toward the Fayda digital ID. Most people don’t think we’re out here to violate privacy.”

ID interoperability for regional integration

In order to ease travel and trade across borders in Africa, Zemichael said Ethiopia believes interoperability is key, a topic that was sufficiently discussed in some panels during the ID4Africa event.

“ID interoperability was one hot topic. It’s key for the free movement of people and intra-African trade. One major barrier we have is visa requirements and restrictions on movement. So, ID interoperability was actively discussed in relation to topics like the AfCFTA, the AU ID interoperability framework, and how PKI systems can enable all of this,” said Zemichael, mentioning the usefulness of the FaydaPass wallet that was launched on the sidelines of the event.

“An example is verifying the authenticity of a Kenyan national ID or enabling reciprocity. An Ethiopian trader should be able to go to Uganda, for instance, with a national ID or business license and have it recognized. That’s a game-changer. The EU has done a great job with standards like GDPR, which many of us are adopting. Now, there are wallet specifications too, and we’re adopting those as well. So yes, this year is pivotal for us.”

The NIDP boss noted that the significance of the year 2025 for Ethiopia’s digital transformation efforts is not only reflected in the hosting of ID4Africa, but also because it marks the conclusion of the Digital Ethiopia 2025 strategy.

He referenced the remarks made by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed during the opening ceremony of ID4Africa where he mentioned that all the foundational blocks and pillars of the strategy, one of the which is the Fayda ID, were already in place.

“This doesn’t mean we’ve succeeded or that citizens are already experiencing better lives, but the foundational layers are there. That’s promising. It means the citizen touchpoints are ready. We’re not just building data centers or fancy software systems. These are foundational systems that enable everything else,” he acknowledged.

“ID is just one part of the Digital Ethiopia strategy. We also have the PKI, which was recently inaugurated. We have a one-stop shop for all federal government services, also recently launched, with a data exchange at the backend that allows agencies to communicate.”

A can for tech transparency, sovereignty

In his final thoughts during the interview, Zemichael made the case for technology transparency and sovereignty, advising African governments to get a certain level of local capacity as they drive their digital transformation agenda.

“Governments must ensure 100 percent data sovereignty. It’s not just about writing it into a contract. Saying we own the source code doesn’t equal sovereignty. You need ownership from day one. Know the architecture, understand why certain design decisions are made, and your implementation engineers should know how the system works,” he advised.

“You also need some level of technological sovereignty. Your engineers and agency people must understand what’s inside the box, whether it’s an ID system, a PKI system, or a wallet. These can’t be ‘black boxes’.”

Zemichael, meanwhile, also warned against “black-box solutions” from private vendors. “I would say stop doing black-box turnkey projects. Those days are over, especially for digital public infrastructure like ID, PKI, wallets, data exchange, and payment systems. Turnkey projects aren’t sustainable. There must be on-site capacity building, and engineers should be empowered to understand and maintain the systems.”

Narcotics case: Delhi HC grants bail to Ethiopian national, cites Customs’ custody ‘illegal’ The Times of India 20h