May 30 , 2025
The 2025 Annual General Meeting (AGM) of ID4Africa was held in Addis Ababa from May 20 to 23 , bringing together over 2000 participants from more than 100 countries, including delegates from over 50 African states. The event was formally opened by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and marked the largest gathering in the movement’s history.
Established in 2014, ID4Africa is a pan-African initiative that supports the development of responsible and inclusive digital identity systems. These systems are regarded as essential tools for socio-economic development, digital transformation, and the effective delivery of public services. The 2025 AGM was held under the theme “Digital Identity at Scale: Prioritizing Use, Accelerating Impact.”
In his opening remarks, Prime Minister Abiy highlighted Ethiopia’s transition from a fragmented national identification system to the implementation of Fayda, a secure and inclusive digital identity initiative developed under the Digital Ethiopia 2025 strategy. To date, over 15 million individuals have been registered, with the programme aiming to cover 90 million citizens. Fayda is integrated across key sectors, including finance, health, and education, and has facilitated transactions amounting to 9.6 trillion birr.
The Executive Chairman of ID4Africa, Joseph Atick, expressed his appreciation for Ethiopia’s efforts in advancing digital identity. He noted that the selection of Ethiopia as the 2025 host country followed a competitive process in which six countries submitted proposals. Ethiopia was selected in recognition of its commitment to strengthening identity infrastructure and policy.
Yodahe Araya Selassie, Director of the Ethiopian National ID Program, also addressed participants. He provided an overview of Ethiopia’s progress in implementing its digital identity system and underlined the importance of collaboration in building trusted and effective identity ecosystems.
The AGM featured sessions that addressed the practical implementation of digital ID systems, with a particular focus on encouraging both adoption and responsible use. Participants examined how public and private institutions can incorporate digital identity into service delivery while safeguarding individual rights and promoting accessibility.
Since its first meeting in Dar es Salaam in 2015, the ID4Africa AGM has served as a key platform for dialogue on digital identity across the continent. The 2025 edition reaffirmed the relevance of coordinated efforts in building identity systems that support inclusive development and governance in Africa.