National Election Board of Ethiopia | NEBE

What National Election Board of Ethiopia | NEBE does

The National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) is the constitutionally mandated independent electoral management body of Ethiopia, re-established by Establishment Proclamation No. 1133/2019 (effective April 1, 2019). It holds exclusive legal authority to conduct national, regional, and local elections; organize referendums (including the South Western Ethiopia Referendum); and regulate political parties under Proclamation No. 1162/2019. NEBE operates under a five-member Management Board led by a Chairperson (currently Melatwork Hailu) and a CEO-led secretariat, and is accountable to the House of Representatives. It serves Ethiopian citizens as voters, political parties, accredited civil society organizations (CSOs), media organizations, and special constituency groups such as soldiers, students, and displaced persons. The Board operates nationwide through regional branch offices across all 11 regions and 2 city administrations, with an election infrastructure comprising 673 constituencies and approximately 49,407 polling stations.

NEBE has built an integrated digital election management platform over multiple electoral cycles. Core systems include the Digital Voter Self-Registration (VSR) and Assisted Registration (ARS) systems (mobile and web-based, launched 2025), a centralized biometric voter register for duplicate detection, a digital ballot lottery system, a free airtime allocation system, an Election Result Management System, and three online registration portals for party candidates, individual candidates, and election officials. Voter-facing channels include the Mirchaye mobile application (iOS, Android, and web) for civic and voter education. Supporting infrastructure includes accreditation of 169 CSOs and training of 775+ youth volunteers for voter education, plus a cascading poll worker training program of ~300 master trainers, 5,000 field trainers, and over 214,000 trained poll workers per election cycle. The Board partners with international electoral support organizations (UNDP/SEEDS, IFES, ECES, USAID-CEPPS) and receives bilateral donor support from Japan and Italy.

NEBE's business model is government-funded rather than commercial: it is financed through the Ethiopian federal budget with no pricing model, no commercial revenue streams, and no external shareholders. It provides election administration services free of charge to citizens. The organization also administers the disbursement of government financial support to political parties in accordance with Proclamation 1162/2019 Article 100. Its GTM motion is event-driven and concentrated around election cycles, with intensive pre-election activities including nationwide voter registration campaigns, civic and voter education through accredited CSOs, political party consultations, media airtime lotteries, and stakeholder training across all regions.

Name

National Election Board of Ethiopia | NEBE

Legal name

National Election Board of Ethiopia

Website

https://nebe.org.et

Company type

Public

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) is the constitutionally mandated electoral management body that conducts national elections, organizes referendums, and regulates political parties across all 11 Ethiopian regions and 2 city administrations, funded through the federal government budget.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Electoral Administration Services

NAICS

Executive, Legislative, and Other General Government Support (921), Legislative Bodies (92112)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAIACAB

City Clerk/Records, Elections & Civic Engagement

Business & Public Services/Public Sector & Government Administration/Local/Municipal Government Administration

SECONDARYBPADAGAA

Electoral Support & Election Observation

Business & Public Services/International Organizations & Development/Human Rights, Democracy & Governance

Keywords

• Electoral management services
• Voter registration systems
• Election administration
• Civic voter education
• Political party regulation

Headquarters

HQ city

Addis Ababa

HQ country

Ethiopia

HQ region

Africa

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: As a constitutionally mandated government institution, NEBE is funded through the federal government budget. The Board is accountable to the House of Representatives and receives operational funding for conducting elections, administering political parties, and civic education programs.
2. Government Financial Support to Political Parties: NEBE administers financial support from the government to political parties in accordance with Proclamation 1162/2019 Article 100. Funds are distributed through special bank accounts opened by parties for this purpose.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) is the constitutionally mandated independent electoral management body of Ethiopia that conducts, supervises, and administers all national, regional, and local elections as well as referendums. It manages voter registration through biometric and digital platforms, registers and regulates political parties and candidates, allocates free airtime to parties for election broadcasts, and delivers civic and voter education programs. All services are provided free of charge to Ethiopian citizens, political parties, candidates, observers, and civil society organizations.

Product overview

National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) operates a unified platform supporting Ethiopia's electoral processes through multiple interconnected digital systems. The core product portfolio includes the Digital Voter Self-Registration (VSR) and Assisted Registration (ARS) systems for voter registration, the Biometric Voter Register for central voter database management, and the Election Result Management System for compiling and announcing results. Supporting portals include the Party Candidate Registration Portal (party.portal.nebe.org.et), Individual Candidate Registration Portal (ic.portal.nebe.org.et), and Election Officials Registration Portal (admin.portal.nebe.org.et). The Mirchaye mobile/web application provides voter-facing services. Additional core systems include the Ballot Lottery System, Free Airtime Allocation System, National Action Coalition (NAC) Agreement platform for disinformation monitoring, and the Political Party Registration and Management System. The Civic and Voter Education Program supports stakeholder engagement. Together, these products enable NEBE to conduct elections, administer referendums, and regulate political parties.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mirchaye Mobile and Web Application A mobile and web application that delivers voter information and registration support services to Ethiopian citizens ahead of and during elections.
• Digital Voter Self-Registration (VSR) and Assisted Registration (ARS) System A digital registration platform enabling Ethiopian citizens to self-register as voters (VSR) or be registered with assistance at registration centers (ARS), forming the backbone of voter enrolment for national, regional, and local elections.
• Biometric Voter Register A centralized, biometrically enabled voter register maintained by NEBE to uniquely identify registered Ethiopian voters and ensure the integrity of the electoral roll.
• Political Party and Candidate Registration Portals A set of online portals that enable Ethiopian political parties and individual candidates to complete registration, submit nominations, and manage compliance documentation with NEBE's electoral regulations.
• Election Result Management System An internal NEBE system used to capture, aggregate, and publish election results across the country's polling stations, constituencies, and regions.
• Digital Ballot Lottery System A digital system that randomly assigns ballot positions to political parties and candidates contesting Ethiopian elections, ensuring transparent and rules-based ballot ordering.
• Free Airtime Allocation System A digital system used by NEBE to allocate free broadcast airtime on Ethiopian media outlets to political parties contesting elections, providing equal campaign communication opportunities.
• National Action Coalition (NAC) Agreement Platform A pre-election inter-party and multi-stakeholder agreement platform used by NEBE to bring political parties, civil society organizations, and other actors together behind shared commitments for peaceful, inclusive, and credible elections.
• Civic and Voter Education Program A nationwide civic and voter education program delivered by NEBE, with a focus on women, youth, people with disabilities, and rural communities, to inform Ethiopian citizens about voter registration, voting procedures, and electoral rights.
• National, Regional and Local Election Administration Service NEBE's core end-to-end election administration service for Ethiopian general, regional, and local elections and referendums, including planning, polling station deployment, vote counting, and result declaration.

Quantifiable outcome

• 49,407 polling stations managed across 11 regions for the 6th General Election
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 February 2026UNDP supports NEBE through the SEEDS (Supporting Elections for Ethiopia's Democracy Strengthening) project. UNDP assists with electoral needs assessment missions, capacity building, and collaborative initiatives including the National Action Coalition (NAC) Agreement to combat election-related misinformation. Dr. Samuel Doe, UNDP Resident Representative, participates in NEBE events and emphasizes the importance of authentic information for election integrity.
• UNDP SEEDS ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 December 2024Supporting Elections for Ethiopia's Democracy Strengthening (SEEDS) is a UNDP-funded project that coordinates development partner support for NEBE. NEBE organized a roundtable discussion with SEEDS officials, ambassadors from various countries, and partner organizations to recognize earlier support and encourage continued assistance.
• European Center for Electoral Support (ECES)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational electoral support organization providing technical assistance and expertise to NEBE for election management. ECES collaborates with NEBE on electoral capacity building and support programs.
• International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading international organization dedicated to advancing democracy worldwide. IFES provides technical assistance, electoral knowledge, and support to NEBE for improving election processes in Ethiopia.
• USAID-Consortium for Elections and Political Process Strengthening (CEPPS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUSAID's CEPPS provides electoral assistance to NEBE through a roundtable discussion mechanism. CEPPS coordinates with NEBE on election support programs and policy frameworks.
• EU/European Centre for Electoral Support (EU/ECES)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean Union support channeled through ECES for electoral assistance to NEBE. Collaborates with NEBE on various election support initiatives.
• Ethiopian Media AuthoritycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNEBE collaborates with the Ethiopian Media Authority for free airtime allocation to political parties under the Media Usage framework mandated by Electoral Proclamation No. 1162/2019. Haymanot Zeleke, Director of EMA, confirmed airtime allocation across 50 broadcasts (66 total including subsidiary channels) across radio, TV, and newspapers.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/nebethiopia
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCL30EADwz6rbaAS1LIftA4A
• Facebookfacebook.com/National-Electoral-Board-of-Ethiopia-NEBE-414693405979601
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nebe-et

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about National Election Board of Ethiopia | NEBE