Digital civil and family registration underpins Ethiopia’s digital transformation, governance

Addis Ababa, December 31, 2025 (FMC) – The effective implementation of digital civil and family registration plays a central role in underpinning Ethiopia’s digital transformation, governance framework, and national ID system, Director General of the Immigration and Citizenship Service (ICS), Ms. Selamwit Dawit, has said.

Ms. Selamwit stated that digital civil and family registration is a critical enabler of Ethiopia’s broader transformation journey and a key mechanism for improving the delivery of public services to citizens.

She explained that civil and family registration data will contribute significantly to the development of a national ID system and support evidence-based policy formulation across sectors.

The Director General emphasized that all relevant stakeholders must shoulder their responsibilities to ensure the proper and effective implementation of the registration system and to sustain the strong progress already achieved.

Highlighting the importance of collective effort, she stressed that close coordination and collaboration are essential to successfully complete civil and family registration initiatives, with the Digital Ethiopia 2030 Strategy providing strategic direction and support.

Ms. Selamwit noted that the establishment of a civil and family registration system supported by a robust digitalization framework has an irreplaceable role in strengthening governance, justice administration, planning, and national development.

She further stated that the system has made a significant contribution to enhancing national security and facilitating the international movement of Ethiopian citizens.

According to the Director General, work is currently underway to fundamentally overhaul the existing paper-based registration system and replace it with an integrated and modern digital platform.

She also recalled that a civil and family registration system developed by the Artificial Intelligence Institute has recently been implemented in Addis Ababa.

Ms. Selamwit reaffirmed that the Immigration and Citizenship Service will continue to work with determination to ensure the implementation of a uniform civil and family registration system across the country.

It is to be recalled that Digital Ethiopia 2030 Strategy was officially launched early this month by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed following the official conclusion of the “successful Digital Ethiopia 2025 Strategy.

On that occasion, it was noted that Digital Ethiopia 2025 has brought about a significant change in improving access to civil registration and citizenship services. Considerable work has also been carried out as a major pilot effort to integrate these services with various institutions. For example, in Addis Ababa, it has been possible to create connectivity from the central level down to the district (woreda) level, and the applications used for this work have been developed using local capacity.

As a result, family registration, vital events registration, resident services, and verification processes are being implemented through a digital system. This can serve as a valuable experience for the work being carried out to ensure that institutions are digitally operated and interconnected through data by 2030.