How digital public infrastructure is transforming service delivery for children in Ethiopia

In Ethiopia today, at least 31.4 million people, including 16.5 million children, 7.8 million women and 5.7 million people with disabilities are suffering due to multiple, overlapping hazards: armed conflict, severe drought, flooding, intercommunal violence and outbreaks of diseases including cholera, measles and malaria. These crises have also compounded pre-existing gender inequalities, exclusion and risks for women and girls.

In this context, UNICEF works to support national efforts to ensure the realization of the rights of children and women through improved child survival, development and protection. In the last 2.5 years, UNICEF, working with and through the government systems, has been implementing a humanitarian cash transfer (HCT) programme that supports the most vulnerable populations affected by drought and displacement.

HCT programmes can face a range of challenges and risks, for example related to duplication and exclusion. This is why, in Ethiopia, UNICEF is currently partnering with the National ID Program (NIDP), that provides a unique digital ID to Ethiopian citizens. As a core element of Ethiopia’s digital public infrastructure, the new Fayda ID aims to enable everyone in Ethiopia to engage with and access public and private services. Built based on the Modular Open Source Identity Platform (MOSIP), a digital public good, the Program focuses on transparency, inclusion and human-centric technology.

In a pilot collaboration, UNICEF and the NIDP partnered on linking the digital ID to UNICEF’s HCT programme. Starting with only one bank, the pilot quickly reached over 7,000 people. By using the unique digital ID, the programme minimizes the risk of duplication, and ensures funds reach more people in need. In addition, the digital ID gives the HCT beneficiaries access to additional services (e.g. banking, contracts, and eventually, as the ID programme is rolled out nationally, access to additional social services). Linking the HCT system with the national ID also strengthens national systems, capacity, and resilience, and thus the humanitarian-development nexus. In addition, obtaining the Fayda ID has proven valuable to people in need for other reasons: In addition to the UNICEF cash transfers, many are now able to open bank accounts and obtain SIM cards, both transformative for financial inclusion and improved access to public services. The linkage to the UNICEF programme is incentivizing more people to register for the digital ID, thus speeding up the rollout of the programme across the country.

Based on the positive results of the pilot, UNICEF has expanded its partnership with the NIDP. For example, to address bottlenecks in registration, UNICEF is supporting the government with the procurement of 100 registration kits. These kits will rapidly speed up the pace of registration by enabling an additional 5,000 registrations per day.

The comprehensive partnership between UNICEF and the NIDP also provides the basis for unlocking the benefits of DPI for children in other sectors. UNICEF, NIDP and other ministries are already exploring the potential of linking the digital ID with the civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) system. As under-5 birth registration is only at 8% in Ethiopia, leaving many children uncounted and invisible, this is another area with immense potential for accelerating the realization of child rights in the country. Further linkages, for example with the health and education sector, are being explored.

The work of UNICEF and NIDP in Ethiopia showcases the transformative potential of DPI for child rights. As a first-mover country of the so called ”50-in-5” campaign by the Digital Public Goods Alliance and other partners, Ethiopia has committed to share learnings and good practices on building inclusive DPI with other countries. UNICEF is committed to support this ambition, and to work with other countries on unlocking the potential of DPI for children.