IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

How feasible is e-governance in a society where majority of the population is not computer literate and in light of the dire power shortage?

Ethiopia is planning to launch e-governance service delivery in the next six months. As many as 150 governments’ services will be offering online services, according to Innovation and Technology Minister, which is cited by Fana Broadcasting Corporate report on Friday.

The government of Ethiopia will soon build a national data center that is Tier 3 certified, meaning highly resistant to power interruptions and offering 99.982% data access availability. The Ministry of Innovation and Technology has completed the facility’s preliminary design and is now seeking a company for a design-build contract. The related tender will be launched this month, according to Minister Ahmedin Mohammed.

The national data center is expected to be built at the ICT Park, near the Bole Lemi industrial park. It will store and secure all public and private information and statistics. It will serve as the main tool for the e-government solution, offering cloud services, colocation and hosting, to better manage business applications.

Since June 1, 2018, the e-visa entry in Ethiopia is accessible to all nationalities and opens to business travel.

The e-visa policy in Ethiopia regards all types of professional visas since 1 June 2018.

All business travelers can apply for the visa online for different types of travel: e-Business Visa; e-Conference Visa; e-Work Visa; e-Government Employee Visa; e-Journalist Visa; e-International Organizations / Embassy Employee Visa; e-Short-Term Stay Visa with a Government Institution.

A city-wide infrastructure to enable E-ID and fully digitized civil registration and vital statistics services is set to be unveiled by the Addis Ababa Civil Registration & Resident Services Agency (CRRSA) in the coming weeks. As part of an impetus to transform the capital into a smart city, the Agency will look for software partners to onboard onto its comprehensive digitization efforts.

A mobile application dubbed ‘Digital Kebele’ will grant residents access to CRRSA’s services while also enabling a digital ID that has a unique identifier verifiable by authorities.

"Addis Ababa Launches Bold Plan for Sustainable Urban Growth!"

Addis Ababa Mayor Adanech Abiebie announced a new city development strategy to enhance urban planning and resource mobilization for future growth.

Addis Ababa City has launched a new City Development Strategy (CDS) on August 20, 2024. This initiative aims to reshape urban development in the city. Mayor Adanech Abiebie announced the strategy, emphasizing its importance for long-term growth.

In just over two years since launching its ambitious smart city strategy, Addis Ababa is emerging as a symbol of bold urban transformation, blending digital innovation with sustainable development to improve the lives of millions.

Unveiled in December 2022 by Mayor Adanech Abebie, the city's smart vision set out to redefine public service delivery, strengthen citizen engagement, and build a more livable, greener, and globally competitive metropolis. Now, halfway through the decade, Addis Ababa is not only implementing its blueprint--it's gaining global recognition for it.

Ethiopia's capital city is garnering widespread praise from African leaders for its ambitious renovation into a smart city, showcasing innovative urban development strategies that are setting a benchmark for modernization across the continent.

Speaking at the Ethio-Algeria Joint Ministerial Commission (JMC) recently, Algeria's Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf lauded Addis Ababa's smart city advancements, emphasizing their transformative impact not only on Ethiopia but also as an inspiration for the entire African continent.

The Federal Public Procurement and Property Administration Agency (FPPA) along with its key partner organizations, on Thursday unveiled a five-year Electronic Procurement Strategic Document and Action Plan, which is said to implement an electronically aided procurement dubbed e-GP or [e-Government Procurement].

Designed by the agency in collaboration with the Ministry of Finance (MoF) and Ministry of Innovation and Technology (MoIT) – the latest roadmap - identified as e-GP System Implementation Strategy and Road Map – is believed to help transform the existing conventional procurement system among pubic organizations to a modern and digitally aided procurement system by leveraging information and communication technologies.

Ethio Telecom is back in the news – this time via plans to launch a smart city project in Bahir Dar, capital city of the Amhara region in northern Ethiopia, following the deployment of commercial 5G services.

This week the state-owned company announced that it signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the city's mayor to move forward with this initiative.

In a groundbreaking move towards digital transformation, the federal government has officially launched Mesob, a one-stop service platform designed to integrate multiple public services under one digital system. Utilizing state-of-the-art technology, Mesob enables citizens to access a wide range of federal services online, eliminating the need for physical visits, long queues, and cumbersome paperwork.

Under the pilot phase, twelve federal institutions have come together to offer 41 essential services through Mesob. These services span across licensing, immigration, digital ID registration, investment facilitation, and more.

In Ethiopia, the government will soon migrate toward the national backbone to take advantage of the enhanced internet capabilities necessary for its E-government services.

The innovation and technology minister Getahun Mekuria (photo) announced this on January 22, 2019, during a workshop organized in Addis Ababa on investments made by the country to improve its national telecom infrastructure. The new backbone toward which the government will migrate will replace WoredaNet which is no more suited for the government’s internet needs.

The transformation of Kasanchis, lays a solid foundation for smart city development and embodies our vision for green, clean, and modern urban centers.

Undertakings of this scale require substantial effort, and while they may bring temporary inconveniences, these sacrifices are necessary to pursue the greater good. Such progress must continue, for it carries with it renewed hope—especially for the future of our children.

The Ministry of Urban and Infrastructure has unveiled a smart city initiative aimed at transforming 275 towns across Ethiopia into smart cities by 2024/2025. The plan seeks to modernize urban services, improve living standards, and drive the country's urban development forward.

State Minister Fenta Dejen revealed that the initiative will begin with 31 cities in 2023/2024, including the capital, Addis Ababa. This initial phase will serve as a model for the larger goal of transforming 2,500 towns into smart cities by 2026. Key elements of the plan include modernizing office services, providing fast and accessible services, and implementing e-services.

The Ministry awarded the project for the development of 88 e-service portals to Africom in May 2013 for 1.95 million Ethiopian birr.

Another IT firm, ESystems Africa, is also involved in development of 65 portals.

Adequate budgeting and efficient administration takes ICT development a long way. For developing countries such as Ethiopia which has its telecommunication service under state monopoly striving to create a universal coverage has been the key mission before the country surrenders its state monopoly to the private sector through joining the World Trade Organization (WTO) initiative.

The government has been investing in communications infrastructure to fill the deficit narrowing the gap. Partnering with ZTE and Huawei for technology infrastructure development with over a billion dollars, investment has also been noted as a positive progress. There has been a massive investment on the sector with the initiative to upgrade coverage. Over the last decade, the sector has seen more than 3 billion dollars investment to develop infrastructure and expand service coverage.

AMP is an e-government solution that addresses administrative challenges faced by developing country governments and their donors in tracking and reporting on international aid flows and programs. By enabling access to standardized information about aid activities within a country, it facilitates the improved planning, allocation, disbursement and general management of aid resources.

Ethio Telecom, the state-owned telecom service provider in Ethiopia, on Monday launched 5G mobile phone service making Ethiopia among the leading few African countries, including Kenya in eastern Africa, to roll out the technology.

According to Ethio Telecom, the network will be available on hotspot areas in the capital Addis Ababa, including in the area around Ethio Telecom's head office and at the premises of Bole International Airport, before being expanded to cover other parts of the country.

The Government of Ethiopia launches an electronic platform that will enhance efficiency in trade logistics landscape of the country by speeding the customs process for importers and exporters.

Labelled, Ethiopia Electronic Single Window Service, is launched on Saturday in the presence of Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed. It is said will reduce the 44 days hectic long paper work process for importers and exporters to 15 days. Gradually, it is also expected to cut the 15 days to three working days.

According to the document, which is released at the First Session of the Committee on Development Information, Science and Technology held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the country has been utilizing ICT for exchange of information among institutions and thereby improve provision of social and administrative services.

Africom is also developing 31 e-services at a cost of EBR 1.9 million and eSystems Africa is developing 44 services for twelve government institutions including Addis Ababa City Administration, the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development (MoFED), the Ministry of Culture and Tourism (MoCT), the Ministry of Industry (MoI), the Ministry of Trade (MoT) and the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (MoLSA).