Addis ababa: The Ministry of Transport and Logistics announced that it will replace and modernize car plate numbers and improve the vehicle identification system. This morning, Transport and Logistics Minister Alemu Sime briefed the press on the draft Directive No. 1050/2025 for the Types of Vehicles Identification Number Plate and Symbols Determination and Service Delivery, which is slated for implementation in the current Ethiopian Fiscal Year.
According to Ethiopian News Agency, the new system aims to replace the current system, which has been operational for over two decades, with a secure, technologically advanced, and nationally uniform standard. Minister Alemu stated that conforming to international agreements and having uniform and consecutive identification number plates for vehicles is necessary for registration purposes.
The new system is designed to unify the identification standard that will enhance a sense of shared national identity and control in the transport sector. The new plate numbers w
ill simplify the visual design to only three different colors and incorporate advanced security features.
The core of the change lies in a technologically-driven overhaul, with each new plate including security features such as holograms, watermarks, and micro-text to prevent fraud. Furthermore, the plates will feature RFID chips and QR codes for secure digital record-keeping and tracking by authorized bodies, making the plates digitally readable by enforcement systems.
Moreover, the new design will incorporate the internationally recognized code “ETH”, aligning the country with the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic. The new directive simplifies the existing patchwork system while meeting global standards. Ethiopia has over 1.6 million registered vehicles under the existing system, which comprises around 16 different types of plates with varying colors and numbers, leading to complexity and confusion.
Transport and Logistics State Minister, Gebru Hassen, highlighted that the existing plate number system ha
s been in operation for over 23 years, resulting in significant wastage of wealth. The primary goal of the new directive is to save public funds by utilizing high-quality materials efficiently and implementing a proper system to track and discard returned plates, which the current legal framework lacks.