Ethiopia's Digital ID Gives 1M Refugees Access to Healthcare

Imagine fleeing your home with nothing, then arriving in a new country where you can't legally work, open a bank account, or even take your sick child to a doctor.

For more than one million refugees in Ethiopia, that nightmare just ended. Since 2024, the country has been issuing digital IDs called Fayda to refugees and asylum seekers, giving them the same access to services that citizens enjoy.

The results have transformed daily life. Refugees can now start formal businesses, earn legal income, get proper healthcare, and enroll their children in school. These aren't small conveniences. They're the building blocks of rebuilding a life after losing everything.

Ethiopia hosts refugees mainly from its four neighboring countries. Working with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the government created Fayda as part of its Digital Ethiopia 2030 strategy to modernize the country's systems.

UNHCR Country Representative Aissatou M. Ndiaye told the Ethiopia News Agency that Fayda does more than simplify paperwork. It gives refugees legal recognition and dignity while helping them contribute to their host country's economy.

"Digital identity is the starting point for sustainable solutions," Ndiaye explained. "Fayda provides legal recognition, strengthens the dignity of refugees, and empowers them to take charge of their future."

The Ripple Effect spreads far beyond individual families. When refugees can work legally and access banking, they start businesses that create jobs. When children get enrolled in school, entire communities benefit from educated young people. When people receive proper healthcare, disease outbreaks get prevented before they spread.

The UNHCR believes Ethiopia's approach could guide other African nations managing refugee populations. Cameroon has already received similar praise for issuing national identity cards to refugees.

Ethiopian officials see Fayda as essential for the country's long term growth. The system has accelerated digital transformation across the Horn of Africa, with neighboring nations now watching closely.

One challenge remains: registering refugee children has moved slower than hoped. But the foundation is working, and more families gain access every month.

More than one million people who once lived in legal limbo can now dream again about building stable futures.