Ethiopia to Introduce INTERPOL Traveller Connectivity Technology

What changed

Ethiopia is preparing to introduce INTERPOL’s Traveller Connectivity Technology, Ethiopian Federal Police Commissioner General Demelash Gebremichael announced on October 31, 2026.

The system is intended to:

• Identify people wanted for terrorism and other cross-border crimes.
• Help law enforcement locate and arrest them.
• Support lawful extradition between countries.

Ethiopian police are coordinating with immigration authorities and the aviation sector before putting it into operation.

Why it matters

The planned system would connect border control, policing and air travel more closely. INTERPOL says the technology can monitor millions of travellers daily, giving authorities a way to flag wanted individuals as they move between countries and transport networks.

Ethiopia already has one example of the cooperation it wants to expand: a joint operation with INTERPOL led to the arrest of a suspect who was later extradited to Ethiopia. Ethiopia has also helped send people wanted for transnational crimes to other countries under established legal procedures.

The technology could make those operations faster and broader. But its real effect will depend on how Ethiopia uses it. The implementation date, operating rules, legal safeguards and deployment coverage have not been specified, so the announcement marks the start of a system rather than proof of its results.