NIDP Ethiopia Partners with TECH5 to Implement Digital ID for Ethiopian National ID Program

Geneva, Switzerland. TECH5, an innovator in the field of biometrics and digital identity management, has become an international partner and technology supplier for the National ID Program of the Ethiopian Government Entity (NIDP Ethiopia). NIDP Ethiopia has implemented a limited pilot program with TECH5 biometric and digital ID technologies for enrollment and authentication of residents as well as digital ID issuance.

This pilot program has at its core an IDMS (Identity Management System named Fayida) based on MOSIP. The National ID Program of Ethiopia has been working on customizing the MOSIP open-source platform for more than a year and has now reached the position of launching a pilot.

Individuals participating in the pilot program can be enrolled by providing their biometric and demographic data. Face, fingerprint, and iris images are captured, checked for quality using the TECH5 SDK, and then de-duplicated through a 1:N check against data in the National ID system using the TECH5 identification system (T5-ABIS BE) that is integrated into the MOSIP platform. TECH5 has also deployed the T5-IDencode platform integrated with MOSIP for Digital ID generation. Once enrolled, an individual receives a digital ID which can be presented in an electronic or printed format and verified completely offline using an authorized verifier application on a smartphone.

All data collected, stored in the NID database, and/or published in the ID credential is limited to the minimum data required to identify an individual. All data remains secure under NIDP and is owned by the individual who has sole and total control over how the data is managed and used. The Ethiopian Identity program is working in compliance with international principles of data privacy, minimal data retention, inclusion and consent. Current working principles are made public here www.id.gov.et/principles .

“This entire program is aimed at creating and implementing a Foundational Digital ID system for Ethiopia at the national level, the culmination of which results in the enrollment of millions of consenting individuals as part of national priority use-cases in the banking, insurance, education, residential services and other sectors. “We are glad to partner with the TECH5 team, who have demonstrated innovative solutions in the biometrics industry.” - comments Yodahe Zemichael, Executive Director of the NID Program.

“We are fully supporting the Ethiopian National ID Program with our expertise and latest technologies because we share the same principles of inclusion that provide individuals with a universal digital identity that is easily accessible and controlled solely by them.” - says Machiel van der Harst, Co-founder and CEO of TECH5.