The 9th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of ID4Africa kicked off Tuesday in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia aiming at advancing inclusive digital identity systems across the African continent.
ID4Africa is a pan-African movement committed to supporting African nations in building robust and responsible identity ecosystems that drive socio-economic development, digital transformation, and humanitarian efforts.
Speaking at the event, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed emphasized that digital ID is no longer an optional but an essential infrastructure for digital transformation, serving as a pillar of inclusion, integrity, and national development.
“For the first time, millions are gaining access to savings, credit and formal markets, thereby expanding inclusive participation in the productive economy,” Abiy said, linking bank accounts to digital ID has enabled greater transparency and access to financial inclusion.
He said the digital ID connects people to services, communities to institutions and governments to the aspirations of their citizens.
“Guided by the vision of Digital Ethiopia 2025, we made a choice to build a modern, inclusive, foundational and scalable digital identity system accessible to every resident, regardless of location, income or background,” he added.
The four-day AGM, being held in Ethiopia for the first time, has brought together over 2,000 delegates from across the world. Organized annually in different African countries, the ID4Africa AGM is the continent’s leading platform for advancing digital identity for development (ID4D).
MG/abj/APA