• Ethiopia and Mozambique signed a three-year agreement on digital identity and public digital infrastructure development.
• Ethiopia will provide technical assistance, cybersecurity support and digital identity expertise through its Fayda program.
• Ethiopia has already registered more than 42 million people under its national digital identity system and targets 90 million registrations by 2030.

Ethiopia and Mozambique signed a memorandum of understanding in Addis Ababa on Monday, April 27, to cooperate on digital identity systems and public digital infrastructure development.

The agreement brings together Mozambique’s Digital Transformation and Innovation Agency (ATDI) and FaydaVerse Digital Solutions Enterprise, an Ethiopian public entity responsible for promoting the country’s digital identification expertise internationally. The three-year partnership, which both parties may renew, establishes a technical cooperation framework aimed at developing secure, inclusive and open-standard digital identity systems.

The initiative seeks to allow Mozambican citizens to identify themselves remotely and access public and private services without the need for physical travel. Under the agreement, Ethiopia will provide technical assistance to Mozambique, including technology architecture sharing, local workforce training and pilot project implementation. In addition, both parties plan to strengthen interoperability among government systems and develop tailored cybersecurity solutions.

The partnership also emphasizes technological sovereignty, which has become an increasingly important issue for African governments. The agreement aims to strengthen local control over digital systems and data while reducing dependence on foreign technology providers.

Meanwhile, Mozambique’s decision to partner with Ethiopia reflects the latter’s growing reputation as one of Africa’s most advanced countries in digital identity systems. Over recent years, Ethiopia has expanded its national digital identification program, known as “Fayda,” which aims to assign every citizen a unique and secure digital identity. The system has already registered more than 42 million people and established the foundation for an integrated digital ecosystem.

Authorities designed the platform to operate across public and private services, including social benefits, financial services and online administrative platforms. As a result, Ethiopia has increasingly positioned itself as an emerging model for public digital infrastructure development in Africa.

Beyond its technical dimension, the initiative also highlights the growing role of South-South cooperation in the digital sector. Furthermore, the partnership aligns with the African Union’s Agenda 2063 strategy and reflects broader efforts by African countries to pool expertise, accelerate digital transformation and build a more integrated digital economy across the continent.

This article was initially published in French by Samira Njoya

Adapted in English by Ange J.A de Berry Quenum