Tech5 and biometric registration for the Fayda ID in Ethiopia
Information Certainty: Documented
Deployment Purpose: Voter & ID Registration
| Summary |
|---|
| The new national identification for Ethiopia, the 'Fayda-ID', will involve biometric registration and a 'biometric engine' powered by Tech5. It is currently in the trial phase but hundreds of thousands of persons are using the system. The ID will be required for access to social services and healthcare. Tech5 is the provider for the Digital ID and 'biometric engine'. The project is seeking a vendor for the biometric registration kits, which the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa is seeking. This is so the biometric registration system can be carried out in line with the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. This case represents an example of the incentivisation of 'digitlisation' in Africa which often takes the form of biometric based identification systems. |
Products and Institutions:
| Product Deployed | T5-ABIS Biometric Engine T5-Digital ID |
|---|---|
| Institutions ⠉ | Tech5 Tech5 |
| Datasets | T5-Digital ID (Dataset) |
| Search software |
Status and Events:
| Status | Planned |
|---|---|
| Events | |
| Start Date | |
| End Date |
Users:
| Involved Entities | United Nations Economic Commission for Africa |
|---|---|
| Managed by | Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia |
| Used by |
Location:
| City | Addis Ababa |
|---|---|
| Country ⠉ | Ethiopia |
Description[ ]
Ethiopia is in the process of putting in place a new national ID program, with biometrics at the forefront. It has been confirmed that during the testing phase Tech5's biometrics will play a key role. The United Nations Global Marketplace has also advertised the program, seeking a suitable vendor from within the UN's listings. This represents further involvement of the United Nations (in this case United Nations Economic Commission for Africa) in the digitilisation of African economies, whereby they often favour and encourage the move toward biometrics, despite the risks the technologies present.
Ethiopia’s National Identity Program (NIDP) is to use Tech5’s T5-ABIS BE (Biometric Engine) and T5-Digital ID solutions in the pre-launch phase of its foundational national ID. The biometric engine covers face, fingerprint and iris biometrics for identification, de-duplication and enrollment. After quality assessment and deduplication by the biometric engine, the T5-IDencode platform generates a digital ID via an integration with the Modular Open-Source Identification Platform, Ethiopia’s chosen ID structure. T5-Digital ID is for issuing and authenticating the IDs. The IDs can be displayed on a mobile device or printed and work on and offline, meaning the holder does not need a device, simply a hard copy of the complex T5-Cryptograph QR code. The individual has control over how their data is managed and used. Issuance is centralized and verification decentralized. Ethiopia has high hopes for its MOSIP-based digital identity scheme called Fayida. Speaking at the recent ID4Africa summit in Marrakesh, Yodahe Zemichael said 75,000 people had already been enrolled in the pilot, with the goal of 10-12 million by the end of 2023 and 75 million by the end of 2025. The NIDP trialed Tech5 solutions earlier in the year including the T5-ABIS. Tech5 has been integrated with MOSIP since 2019. “We are delighted to announce that the first million digital IDs for Ethiopians will be issued over the coming months,” comments Eyob Alemu, Technology Director of the NID Program 1
The Government of Ethiopia is implementing a renewed National Identity (NID) Program focused on rolling-out a digital identification system that is aligned with international best practices, including the Principles on Identification for Sustainable Development. Led by the National ID Program Office (NIDP), NID is a five-year program (2021 – 2026) set to introduce a new nation-wide foundational digital ID that will gradually replace the Kebele ID — a locally administered paper-based card — to offer an inclusive, residence-based and digital identification system, and ultimately support Ethiopia’s digital transformation agenda. The NID initiative will be implemented in various phases, including an initial pilot period, to enable lessons learned, local knowledge enhanced and technical iterations prior to a scale-up and nation-wide roll-out throughout the country. The pilot will test an Ethiopian integration of the Modular OpenSource Identification Platform (MOSIP). NID is a multi-stakeholder initiative encompassing a whole-ofgovernment Steering Committee, international ID experts and consultants, various donors from the international development community, and different teams within the NIDP 2
The Ethiopian National ID Program Office, as outlined in the above forecast, needs 1,840 biometric registration kits to meet its 2025 target of enrolling 70million residents. As part of this timeline, the NID program is seeking to acquire the initial 75 registration kits for the pilot phase of the program through the support of UNECA. Towards this end, this ToR is prepared to provide specifications and basic terms for bidders to supply Biometric Registration Kits 2
References
- a b "Ethiopia using Tech5 biometric engine, digital ID in MOSIP-based scheme pre-launch". (2022) <https://www.biometricupdate.com/202207/ethiopia-using-tech5-biometric-engine-digital-id-in-mosip-based-scheme-pre-launch> Accessed: 2022-11-20
- a b c "Biometric Registration Kits for Etiopia's National Identification Program: Request for EOI". United Nations Global Marketplace (2022) <https://www.ungm.org/Public/Notice/183964>