Ethiopia is set to host an international technology expo, to be organized at the newly inaugurated Addis International Convention Center (AICC) from May 16-18, 2025, Ethiopian Technology Expo 2025 (ETEX 2025). The three day expo, according to two government owned tech institutions, aims at promoting local technological innovations, fostering tech connections and enhancing discussions among policy makers, innovators, researchers and practitioners.
Accordingly, African and global technology administrators, startups, local and international innovators and policy makers are planned to attend the tech festival, which is set to be the largest tech event in East Africa, and more than 1150 local and international tech companies to display their innovations and products while more than 20 tech based researches are expected to be presented during the discussion forums at the event.
According to the two government-owned tech institutions joint press conference, also are the organizers of the event, the Information Network Security Administration (INSA) and the Ethiopian Artificial Intelligence Institute, ETEX 2025 is expected to attract more than 10,000 local and international participants, including senior technology experts, policy makers, innovators, startups and academia from Africa, Europe and Asia. The organizers underlines the role of tech festivals in enhancing local innovations, promoting startups, boosting business connections among tech companies and to bring research findings for the development of the tech industry.
For the organizers, technology-focused expos, exhibitions and trade fairs are boosting productivity and creativity in the sector, enhancing local innovations, accelerating startups and innovative businesses in Ethiopia in recent years. Following the reform measures by the reformist government, Ethiopia is registering landmark successes in developing the technology and innovation sectors during the past seven years. As a result of the development of the tech sector in recent years, Ethiopia started organizing local and international technology expos, exhibitions and trade fairs which helps to promote the local efforts in the tech sector, especially following the commencement of the Science Museum in Addis Ababa. The Science Museum, during the past three years, has hosted tens of technological expos, exhibitions, trade fairs and discussions aiming at accelerating the technological drives.
An article published at International Trade Center on late February entitled “How trade fairs are boosting Ethiopia’s tech sector” disclosed that international trade fairs are strengthening and promoting the nation’s tech ecosystem and helping Ethiopian-based tech companies to expand their innovations, researches, forge partnership and improve their offerings. In addition to the suitable ecosystem created by the reform, the tech expos and trade fairs are initiating, mobilizing and promoting local talents, innovations and startup entrepreneurs in the tech industry.
According to the article, Ethiopia’s technology sector is undergoing significant growth, fuelled by government initiatives, private investments and a young, tech-savvy population eager to drive the digital economy and local innovations. Now, organizing large local, regional and international tech festivals is becoming a usual event and a culture in Ethiopia’s tech industry. As a result of this development, in addition to the expos and trade fairs organized at home, Ethiopian based companies are participating at international expos and tech festivals organized abroad and tech companies are gaining the exposure and insights they need to innovate and thrive to new highs.
Ethiopia is striving to exploit its profound potential in the innovation and technology sector. By increasing its investments in the tech infrastructure and human resource development, Ethiopia is working to boost local innovations and promote creativity. With the continued initiative, currently, Ethiopia is working to become a hub of technological innovations in Africa in near future and to join the leading tech countries of the world in the long run. In this process, Ethiopia is creating a suitable and enabling ecosystem to accelerate nation’s technological transformation.
Speaking to the media during the ETEX 2025 press conference last week, Ethiopian Artificial Intelligence Institute Director-General, Engineer Worku Gachena (PhD) said that the international expo, ETEX 2025, will play a significant role in deriving Ethiopia’s initiatives of transforming the technology sector. According to the Director General, the Expo will serve as a great opportunity and a platform to inform the international community about Ethiopia’s current digital transformation journey and the initiatives being underway by the government as well as the private sector, to promote the suitable technology environment for tech investors and to enhance collaboration among tech companies.
“The Expo is expected to foster partnerships, and build Ethiopia’s positive status and image in the technology sector,” Worku sated adding tech Expos and Exhibitions are playing crucial role to boost local innovations and promote them and to create connections. “ETEX 2025 will serve as a platform to showcase Ethiopia’s untapped potential in the tech sector and to play critical role to achieve the nation’s efforts of becoming technology hub in Africa.”
According to Worku, today, artificial intelligence (AI) technology has extensive applications across various fields. Hence, it is high time for Ethiopia to enhance the development of AI to drive the nation’s development endeavors through adopting the technological developments of the era. “In this regard, the Ethiopian Tech Expo will serve as a platform to showcase Ethiopia’s achievements in AI and other technology sectors, at the same time to exchange experiences and latest developments in the AI technology,” he stated.
According to the organizers, INSA and EAII, ETEX 2025 is expected to attract more than 10,000 visitors and will include research presentations, panel discussions, and technology competitions in AI and other technological innovations. Local and international participants are expected to visit the expo and more than 150 tech companies are expected to present their technological products. Similarly, tech researchers, senior technology experts and policymakers from Africa, Europe and Asia are expected to attend the international tech expo, which is set to be the largest tech event in East Africa.
For her part, Information Network Security Administration (INSA) Director General, Tigist Hamid underlines the critical role of such international tech expos to promote local innovators, startups and technology companies through experience sharing. As to her, the expo will provide Ethiopian startups with the opportunity to present their creative works on an international platform and to take lessons and experiences from other local and foreign tech companies, in addition to displaying their products for potential customers.
According to Tigist, Ethiopia is set to organize the tech festival targeting at making the event a platform to promote both national and continental digitalization programs as well as promoting the development of cyber security in Ethiopia and Africa at large. The expo aims reinforcing policymakers’ commitment to digital transformation as it brings together African and global technology leaders, administrators, researchers, innovators and policymakers.
For Tigist, the Ethiopian government has made significant investments in digital transformation over the past five years, especially following the launch of the Digital Ethiopia 2025 strategy, which brings a lot of success in transforming the nation’s digital journey. “The ETEX 2025 event will showcase how Ethiopia is digitizing its economy,” she added. The Ethiopian Technology Expo 2025 (ETEX 2025) will focus on key topics such as cyber security, AI development, financial technology, smart city development, and technological education targeting at boosting the current local initiatives and creating networks and linkages among tech companies, Tigist stated during the press conference organized in connection with the ETEX 2025 festival.
Throughout the expo, African government representatives and researchers will highlight continental technological issues, fostering a unified approach to shared challenges. It was learnt that the Ethiopian Technology Expo 2025 (ETEX 2025), the largest tech festival in East Africa, will be organized at the Addis International Convention Center (AICC) from May 16-18, for three consecutive days.
BY DARGIE KAHSAY
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD FRIDAY 4 APRIL 2025
