Ethiopia accelerates national digital addressing system rollout
Date: 2025-08-07
Ethiopia's Ministry of Innovation and Technology has made significant progress in implementing its ambitious digital addressing initiative, with systems now under development across 15 major urban centers. The Space Science and Geospatial Institute (SSGI), in collaboration with the National Digital Address System Coordinating Committee, recently reviewed implementation milestones and charted next steps for the nationwide project.
During a
high-level progress review meeting chaired by State Minister for ICT and
Digital Economy, Muluday Kere, officials confirmed seven cities are nearing
completion of their digital address infrastructure. SSGI Director General
Abdisa Yilma emphasized the program's strategic importance, noting its
alignment with Ethiopia's Digital 2030 transformation roadmap.
"The
digital address system represents a foundational component of our national
digital transformation," stated
Director General Yilma. The initiative will enable precise location
identification for emergency services, e-commerce delivery, urban planning, and
various digital government services.
Building on
current progress, the Institute plans to expand the system to 18 additional
cities in partnership with the Ministry of Cities and Infrastructure. This next
phase will incorporate lessons learned from initial implementations while
addressing technical and operational challenges encountered during early
rollout stages.
By creating
standardized, machine-readable location identifiers, the system promises to
revolutionize service delivery, logistics, and urban management across Africa's
second-most populous nation.
As
implementation continues, authorities emphasize the system's potential to
support Ethiopia's growing digital economy while improving accessibility to
essential services. The initiative forms part of broader efforts to establish
the technological infrastructure required for Ethiopia's ambitious digital
transformation goals.
By: Nana Appiah Acquaye
