The Council of Ministers of Ethiopia discussed and approved a draft policy document on National Special Economic Zones. When approving the draft policy document, the Council pointed out that special economic zones contribute in the enhancement of the country’s economy by improving export systems, increasing foreign direct investment, and creating employment opportunities.

It was stated that the establishment of the zones would play an important role in the expansion of dry ports and smooth logistics service in the main trade corridors of the country.

According to the Council, international and regional trade links would allow Ethiopia to actively participate in the international trade and benefit from it.

In related news, the Council also endorsed the draft digital identification proclamation and sent it to the House of Peoples’ Representatives for approval. It is expected that the digital identity proclamation will allow the establishment of a uniform, reliable, and modern technology-based digital identity system which will be applied across the country.

The Digital ID program has launched a pilot test of the ID platform called Fayda and currently has registered 122,000 residents. According to the program’s latest updates, the Digital ID pilot program is currently registering an average of 1,534 registrations per day. 

The National ID Program has plans to issue Digital IDs to over 70 million citizens and residents in Ethiopia by the end of 2025.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency; Additional Source: National ID Program