Ethiopia is interested in learning from Azerbaijan’s experience in digital government and innovation.
A meeting was held between the Innovation and Digital Development Agency (IRIA) and Ethiopian government officials. The discussions focused on transferring Azerbaijan’s digital government and innovation expertise to African countries, particularly Ethiopia, conducting training sessions and workshops to develop digital knowledge and skills, and preliminary agreements were reached on experience sharing.
Ethiopia expressed particular interest in Azerbaijan’s digital government solutions such as "mygov," "digital.bridge," and "digital.login," as well as its digital ID and document circulation systems, and the defense technology cluster in the innovation sector. The strong potential for collaboration in these areas was highlighted.
Ethiopia’s State Minister for Innovation and Technology, Yishrun Alemayehu, remarked:
“Azerbaijan’s journey and achievements in digital transformation are remarkable. As an African nation, Ethiopia is keen to learn from Azerbaijan’s advanced digital government experience.”
Additionally, IRIA officials were provided with detailed information on Ethiopia’s "Digital Ethiopia 2025" digital transformation strategy, and the possibility of applying Azerbaijan’s expertise in implementing this strategy was explored.
During the meeting, it was noted that Azerbaijan’s recent advancements in digital government building are reflected in international reports and the recognition of its digital products with prestigious awards. IRIA Chairwoman Inara Valiyeva stated:
“Azerbaijan has advanced 9 positions in the UN E-Government Development Index, ranking 74th out of 193 countries. For the first time, Azerbaijan has entered the ‘Very High EGDI’ category, the highest tier in the index.”
The IRIA representative also emphasized the importance of other countries studying Azerbaijan’s digitalization experience and developing mechanisms to support collaboration in this regard:
“We support the establishment of a collaborative environment for innovation and experience exchange to achieve sustainable development. I am confident that our preliminary agreement on experience transfer will create real opportunities for Ethiopia’s digital transformation.”
Moreover, during the meeting, the "SIMA" biometric digital signature solution was presented by an AzInTelecom representative. The Ethiopian delegation also closely familiarized themselves with the operations of the Azerbaijan Innovation Center.
It is noteworthy that, as part of COP29, several panel discussions were held on the role of digitalization in addressing environmental challenges. Representatives from Nigeria, Uganda, Kenya, and other African countries explored Azerbaijan’s digital government solutions and initiated preliminary discussions with IRIA representatives on knowledge and experience exchange.
