The National ID Program, known as Fayda, has currently enrolled 28 million people in Ethiopia.
Fayda is collaborating with various institutions across different sectors to integrate the digital ID with their respective operational systems.
In a move initiated last year, the Ministry of Education partnered with Fayda to require all students, starting from Grade 1, to obtain a Fayda ID for school registration.
Dejene Gebre, Registration Coordinator for the National ID Program, told EBC Dotstream that student registration carried out in July 2024 (corresponding to Hamle, 2017 E.C.) was successful in all schools across Addis Ababa.
The coordinator also specified that it is mandatory for students taking national exams to possess a Fayda ID.
Implementing the Fayda ID for students is expected to help create an organized data profile for each student from the ground up, in addition to facilitating easy access to an individual's complete information. Furthermore, the coordinator noted that the system will help in the easy identification of fraudulent educational documents.
The primary goal of Fayda extends beyond digitizing services; it aims to interconnect institutions, making it easier for the community to access services.
Dejene Gebre stated that the Fayda ID is becoming compulsory for citizens nationwide to access a wide range of essential services, including: Opening a new account at any bank, obtaining services from the Document Authentication and Registration Agency (DARA), applying for a passport at the Immigration and Nationality Affairs Main Department and accessing services at similar institutions.
He added that Fayda is already being requested as a prerequisite for many services in Addis Ababa, and its accessibility is expected to continue to expand significantly.
Individuals who are not yet registered or do not possess a Fayda ID can register through Woreda Civil Registration agencies and Ethio Telecom branches.
The coordinator revealed that while 28 million people across the country have obtained the Fayda ID, the program is working toward increasing this number to 60 million by 2025/2026 (corresponding to 2018 E.C.).
