A Japanese social company, Toppan Gravity, together with Ethiopian Investment Holdings, Berhanena Selam Printing Press Enterprises, Educational Materials Production and Distribution Enterprises, has announced the opening of a security printing press factory in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
These partners, in the presence of high-ranking officials from Ethiopia and Japan, placed the foundation stone for the factory to start operations in Bole Lemi Industrial Park, a location provided by the Ethiopian Industrial Parks Development Corporation.
The launch of Ethiopia's Security Printing Press, according to Finance Minister Ahmed Shide, is crucial for maintaining the secrecy of all papers and is significant for the country as a whole.
“Ethiopia has long been subject to restrictions due to the use of antiquated technology when printing different papers overseas. Thus, this printing press is essential to modernizing that industry, digitizing everything associated with it, and raising the bar for confidential printing. We think that too many security and intelligence procedures will go hand in hand with the printing press,” Ahmed said.
In the same vein, this security printing factory should soon be able to provide citizens with efficient and flawless original documents, such as reasonable micro ID cards and e-passports, he added.
On her part, Selamawit Dawit, General Director of Immigration and Citizenship Service, emphasized that the launch of such an innovative printing press in Ethiopia will have a substantial impact on the problems associated with the dearth of passports and the troublesome chaos of time wastage during check-in and check-out.