Ethiopia’s National ID Program has issued a procurement notice for the supply and delivery of 20 million pre-personalized secure resident identification cards, signalling a major credential issuance phase under the country’s Digital ID for Inclusion and Services Project.
The tender calls for the supply and delivery of pre-personalized secure resident ID cards for the National ID Program, often referred to as NIDP. According to the published notice, interested bidders may request the bidding documents by email, after which a softcopy of the documentation will be provided. The notice lists multiple contact addresses associated with the project management unit.
The notice text specifies a bid submission deadline of January 9, 2026 at 2:00 PM local time in Addis Ababa, followed by a public opening of technical envelopes at 2:30 PM, or immediately after the deadline. Bids are to be submitted using a two-envelope structure, with technical and financial parts sealed separately, and financial proposals opened only after completion of technical evaluation.
Bid security requirements are set at ETB 14,000,000, or the equivalent amount in a freely convertible currency, in the form of a bank guarantee issued by a reputable bank. The submission address provided in the notice is the National ID Program Project Management Unit, located in the INSA Building in Addis Ababa, with telephone contact details included.
The notice also explicitly flags beneficial ownership disclosure requirements, reflecting procurement compliance measures increasingly applied to large public-sector tenders. Such disclosures are often required under national procurement regulations and donor-linked project frameworks.
One discrepancy is visible between the tender listing metadata and the notice text itself. While the listing page shows a deadline of January 8, 2026, the body of the notice states January 9, 2026 at 2:00 PM. For reporting and bidder guidance purposes, the notice text and bidding documents are generally treated as authoritative, with the metadata difference likely reflecting a clerical or posting error.
The scale of the tender is significant. A requirement for 20 million secure resident ID cards points to either a large-scale issuance phase or a substantial replenishment aligned with national enrollment targets. The use of the term “pre-personalized” suggests the cards may not be blank stock, but instead include personalization steps such as printing, engraving, or secure element preparation prior to issuance. The precise scope of personalization, however, can only be confirmed by reviewing the bidding documents.
The tender follows earlier reporting on Ethiopia’s Fayda digital ID program and reflects continued momentum toward large-scale credential deployment. Ethiopia has been rapidly expanding its digital identity infrastructure, with Fayda becoming mandatory for banking transactions by 2026.
Sources: Afrotender, GTAI
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By the ID Tech Editorial Team
