ADDIS ABABA -Ethiopia’s effort to bridge the digital skills gap is being intensified with the ambitious goal of training 5 million coders, including 300,000 citizens in the capital city within three years.
This was disclosed recently by the Addis Ababa Innovation and Technology Development Bureau.
The Bureau’s Deputy Head Tulu Tilahun (PhD), stated that approximately 165,000 residents have already participated in the Ethio-Coders initiative, while efforts are underway to train 300,000 citizens in Addis Ababa alone within the next three years.
According to him, the metropolitan administration has provided awareness-creation forums to support this initiative, and so far, 56,000 citizens have been certified after successfully completing the necessary training.
He emphasized that the training is open to all citizens, regardless of gender, age, or other differences.
So far, 180,000 citizens have received certificates upon completing the training, while more than 580,000 individuals are currently enrolled nationwide, Tulu said.
He highlighted that participants who obtained certificates have been effective in adapting to modern technology. He also pointed out that government employees, in particular, could improve their service delivery by undergoing this training.
“All citizens should take advantage of this opportunity,” Tulu urged.
Coder YidnekachewTesfaye, who recently completed the 5 Million Ethiopian Coders training, told local media that the program is crucial for quickly adapting to emerging modern technologies in today’s fast-changing world. He found the training engaging, as it incorporated images alongside text. He added that the knowledge gained through the program enhanced his capabilities in his field of work.
Yidnekachew noted that the training enhances international competitiveness by helping participants stay updated and take advantage of global human capital opportunities.
Launched a year ago and initiated by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD), the Ethio-Coders program is part of the national Digital Ethiopia 2025 strategy. It is one of the government’s initiatives to equip young people with fundamental digital skills in web programming, Android development, data science, and artificial intelligence over the next three years.
BY MESERET BEHAILU
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD SUNDAY EDITION 30 MARCH 2025
