Ethio Telecom has launched teleSign, a national digital signature and document authentication platform developed in partnership with Ethiopia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Justice and the Federal Documents Authentication and Registration Service, enabling citizens and the Ethiopian diaspora to access government services entirely online without physical presence.
The platform, which went live on 30 March, allows users to authenticate legal documents, grant or revoke power of attorney, and obtain or renew professional licences remotely through AI-powered video identity verification with liveness detection. teleSign is integrated with the Fayda National Digital ID system — Ethiopia’s biometric identity programme — and processes payments through telebirr, Ethio Telecom’s mobile money platform. Citizen and institutional data is hosted on Ethio Telecom’s domestic cloud infrastructure, positioning data sovereignty as a core design principle rather than an afterthought.
For the Ethiopian diaspora, the practical impact is significant. Services that previously required in-person visits to embassies or consulates — including power of attorney processing — can now be completed through the teleSign app or website from any location. The Federal Documents Authentication and Registration Service currently handles approximately 6,000 customers daily across 17 branches in Addis Ababa alone.
Ethio Telecom CEO Frehiwot Tamru described teleSign as a step toward serving more than 110 million people, including 87 million active telecom subscribers, under Ethiopia’s Digital Ethiopia 2030 strategy. The State Minister of Justice framed the platform’s economic case directly: reduced transportation costs, lower pressure on physical court and registry infrastructure, and employment creation through simplified administrative access.
The platform’s legal framework is grounded in Ethiopian Proclamation 1072 on electronic signatures, with alignment to international digital trust standards to support cross-border recognition.
