Addis Ababa, December 21, 2025 (FMC) — Senior government officials highlighted the inclusive, innovative, and technology-enabled priorities of Ethiopia’s Digital Ethiopia 2030 Strategy, outlining the roadmap to transform multiple sectors and empower citizens through digital services.
The official launch of Digital Ethiopia 2030 took place at Addis International Convention Center here in Addis Ababa yesterday in the presence of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
The offical launch was also attended by Deputy Prime Minister Temesgen Tiruneh, senior federal and regional officials, members of the National Digital Transformation Council, private sector representatives, and development partners.
On the occasion, Ms. Myriam Ali, Digital Advisor at the Office of the Prime Minister, said the strategy is people-centered and implemented with attention to all sectors.
She noted that it builds on the expanded digital infrastructure achieved under Digital Ethiopia 2025 and stressed the importance of transparent governance, measurable outcomes, and accountability.
Myriam added that achieving the strategy’s objectives requires collaboration among all relevant stakeholders.
Meanwhile, Ms. Frehiwot Tamru, Chief Executive Officer of Ethio Telecom, pointed to the telecommunications achievements under Digital Ethiopia 2025, noting that mobile subscribers have reached 97 million, of which 57 million are internet users.
She also highlighted that 1,030 towns now have 4G coverage.
Looking ahead, Ms. Frehiwot said Digital Ethiopia 2030 targets 128 million mobile subscribers and 5G network access in 100 towns. She further explained that a sevenfold expansion of digital payments’ contribution to national GDP is expected by 2030.
For her part, Ms. Tigest Hamid, Director General of the Information and Network Security Administration, emphasized the importance of cybersecurity.
Ms. Tigest explained that the previous strategy laid key foundations, including Ethiopia’s own cloud infrastructure and a digital forensics laboratory for security institutions.
Under Digital Ethiopia 2030, she said, efforts will focus on building resilient digital infrastructure, upgrading public infrastructure, establishing an incident response center, and strengthening cybersecurity across both government and private institutions.
Dr. Worku Gachena, Director General of the Ethiopian Artificial Intelligence Institute, highlighted initiatives to expand the artificial intelligence ecosystem. Worku noted that beyond using the national cloud infrastructure, a data governance system will be established to ensure structured data is used for decision-making.
He added that an independent national data authority will also be operationalized and emphasized efforts to integrate and standardize digital service delivery.
Yodahie Arayaselassie, National ID Program Coordinator, discussed the strategic role of the Fayda Digital ID. Yodahie said 30 million citizens have been registered and that under Digital Ethiopia 2030, efforts are underway to make Fayda fully accessible.
He highlighted that services at the lowest administrative levels will be integrated with Fayda to achieve the goals set out in the strategy. Yodahie stressed that achieving these goals requires collaborative efforts from all stakeholders.
Yidnekachew Worku, State Minister for Trade and Regional Integration, outlined plans to modernize the trade system. Yidnekachew said the strategy will focus on strengthening domestic e-commerce, improving trade-related logistics, and digitizing processes related to import and export trade.
He noted that these efforts aim to enhance the sector’s contribution to the economy.
Taye Girma, Deputy Director General at the Ethiopian Artificial Intelligence Institute, emphasized the digitalization of civil registration and citizenship services. Taye explained that in Addis Ababa, connectivity has been created from central to district levels, enabling digital family registration, vital events registration, resident services, and verification processes.
He added that the experience gained will inform efforts to ensure that institutions are fully digitally interconnected by 2030.
Dawit Wubeshet, State Minister of Revenues, highlighted tax collection improvements achieved under Digital Ethiopia 2025. Dawit said around 58,000 taxpayers currently declare taxes digitally.
He added that under Digital Ethiopia 2030, interoperable and integrated digital systems will further enhance tax collection in collaboration with relevant institutions.
Muluken Kere, State Minister for Innovation and Technology, discussed the strategy’s focus on startups and digital skills development. Muluken outlined ambitious targets, including achieving 70% digital literacy among the population, 80% digital skills among government employees, and training 10 million citizens in digital skills.
He added that efforts will also support 5,000 startups, create 1 million digital-sector jobs, and ensure the digital sector contributes 12% of GDP by 2030.