-Signs agreement with National ID Project Office
ADDIS ABABA – Ethio telecom launched the national digital ID registration in 29 cities across the country on Wednesday.
The company hosted the event under the theme, “Digital Identity to foster an inclusive digital economy” aiming at creating enabled environment for citizens.
Upon the launching ceremony, Ethio-telecom CEO, Frehiwot Tamiru said that the company has been carrying out various activities such as establishing infrastructure in a bid to realize digital Ethiopia 2025.
As to her, the company focuses on four pillars namely connectivity, enabling system (ID), security, and ecosystem (people centered knowledge) to drive nation aspire to digital system.
She further stated that the nation planned to attain 90 million digital ID in the coming two years. Of this, 32 million ID (36%) will be covered by the company.
Currently, the company has 949 locality service centers established and 1200 kits imported used for registration purpose. In this regard, citizens who are aged from five and citizens of the nation would benefit from national ID service, she noted.
“Improving service accessibility, ensuring trustworthiness between market actors and customers, leading the national economy with information based, combating fraud, and leading modern life are among the significances of the program,” she added.
National ID Project Office Coordinator, Yodahe Arayaselassie on his part said that so far merely 4.6 million citizens have been utilized digital ID. It means that the number of citizens who are exploiting national ID is small compared with that of the huge population the country houses.
“The nationwide Digital ID registration is the historical event because it will benefit 40 % of Ethiopian people who are non-documented. The Effort of Ethio-telecom towards realizing Digital Ethiopia through providing different devices is worth appreciating,” he noted.
Yodahe also underlined that the launching of the national ID would play significant role for benefiting entrepreneurs, ordinary citizens, novel startups, and the likes through ensuring traceability and scale upping loan for citizens.
It was to be recalled that Ethio-telecom has some 77.4 million customers. Of this total number of customers, 44.5 million of them are tele birr users across the nation.
BY MESERET BEHAILU
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD FRIDAY 26 APRIL 2024
