Ethiopia is going to officially launch its first integrated public service center based on Azerbaijan’s internationally recognized “ASAN Service” model, as part of a growing bilateral cooperation aimed at improving public service delivery.
The initiative has gained momentum following the recent visit of Ulvi Mehdiyev, Chairman of the State Agency for Public Services and Social Innovations under the President of Azerbaijan, to Ethiopia.
Invited by the Ethiopian government, Mehdiyev led a delegation to oversee the official presentation of the “MESOB” public service center in Addis Ababa. The “MESOB” center—modeled directly after Azerbaijan’s successful ASAN Service centers—currently operates in pilot mode, offering over 120 services from nearly 20 government institutions and multiple private entities. Housed in an eight-story facility, it features service desks, information points, self-service terminals, a call center, waiting areas, and even a children’s corner to accommodate citizens during service hours.
The Ethiopian Public Service Commission and the Minister of State at the Prime Minister’s Office joined the Azerbaijani delegation at the launch, alongside Azerbaijan’s Ambassador to Ethiopia, Ruslan Nasibov. Ethiopian officials extended their gratitude to Azerbaijan for its technical support and confirmed plans to expand the model across the country by the end of the year.
The collaboration is rooted in a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in May 2024 between Azerbaijan’s State Agency and Ethiopia’s relevant public service authority. The groundwork for this partnership was laid during a high-level meeting between Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Ethiopian President Taye Atske Selassie at the COP29 climate summit in November 2024.
At the meeting, Ethiopia formally expressed interest in adopting the ASAN model to modernize its public service infrastructure. Since then, Azerbaijani experts have conducted extensive training for Ethiopian civil servants, developed legal and procedural frameworks, and introduced unified service standards adapted from ASAN’s technological solutions. The MESOB center building was selected and redesigned in alignment with ASAN’s operational and architectural concepts.
To date, Azerbaijan has signed nearly 30 MoUs with countries and international organizations for the global rollout of its ASAN Service model. As part of a UN-Azerbaijan Trust Fund established in November 2024, the United Nations is also actively supporting the dissemination of ASAN’s public service innovation—considered a flagship Azerbaijani intellectual export—across four continents. The Ethiopian government sees this model not only as a step toward efficient governance but also as a citizen-centric approach that could redefine public administration across the Horn of Africa.
The ASAN Service Center in Azerbaijan is a pioneering one-stop public service delivery model that consolidates over 360 government and private services—ranging from civil registration, passports, and property records to utility payments and business licensing—under one roof with a focus on efficiency, transparency, and citizen satisfaction. Recognized globally for its innovation and customer-centric approach, ASAN integrates mobile units, digital tools, and eco-friendly infrastructure to ensure broad access and quality service.
Nepal can benefit by adapting this model to streamline bureaucratic procedures, reduce corruption, expand rural service delivery through mobile units, and modernize governance through digital platforms—ultimately enhancing public trust and administrative efficiency. Nepali officials had also visited Azerbaijan last year to get a closer look into ASAN Service Center, and its operation model.
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