“We have come to the verge of not imagining human livelihood and development of nations without innovation and technology,” said Dr. Eng.Getahun Mekuria, Minister, Ministry of Innovation and Technology, speaking at the opening session of discussion on technology roadmap, on 25 December, 2018.
The minister believes that the holistic growth and development of a nation highly relies on the necessity of the sector which is indispensable for the nation to empower itself to be competent and pedaling forward in the world ever changing.
The minister added, “It is the matter of this fact that our country has designed the innovation and technology policy to walk homogeneously along with the real world”. Various efforts have been exerted since 1995/6 in designing policies and strategies of science and technology aiming at solving the all-encompassing problems of the country through implementing capacity building and structural changes.
It is alsostated through the implementation of the strategies of science, technology and innovation, the ministry is vigorously workingto empower the partakers of the sector,offering various supports targeting to contribute for the social and economic growth of the country.
As part of its effort the ministry is accomplishing huge national programmes likethriving technology transfer and development, human resource development, production and service delivery institutions, quality infrastructure, research, patent right system, technical and vocational education and training- industry linkage, environmental development and preservation and also international cooperation.
Hence, Ministry of Innovation and Technology is expected to provide adequate support to lead innovation and technology research works with clear vision and genuine labor habit. In this regard the minister said, “We are cultivating our supporting capacity to nurture and change the ideas of youths with special talent to fruitful outcome.
In line with this, the ministry has designed and persistently carrying out the 2,2,2,2 strategy which refers to: in the coming 2 years, we will be supporting a minimum of 2,000 micro and small enterprises so that they can create 20,000 technology related jobs in order to earn a minimum of USD 2 billion. In the past couple years, as to the minister, the ministry of has prepared technology roadmap in 24 sectors and the implementation is underway.
The discussion with stakeholders is to evaluate the performance, identify the gaps and indicatemeans to move forward. The implementation manual of the finalized roadmap documents is forwarded to the concerned institutions. Particularly, implementation plan of four development sectors such as; sugar, irrigation, construction and leather is prepared and the process is underway.
The ministry is working hand in glove with various stakeholders to execute 20 percent of technology and research plans of the roadmap per annum aiming at backing the effort the country is exerting to place itself in the list of medium income countries by 2025. For instance, it signed the memorandum of understandingwith the Ministry of Minerals, Petroleum and Natural gas.
Among the two agreements signed, one is aiding the ministry with drone technology to monitor the nearly 800km gas transmission line extended from Somali State to Djibouti real time(live) as it is hard to assign watch man. Besides, the drone can detect not only personal attack but any corrosion or leakage occurred to the pipe.
The second agreement is to explore natural surface and underground resources of our country throughout its width of nearly 1.1km2 with the aid of Hipper Spectral camera, the drone equipped. Ministry of Mineral, Petroleum and Natural Gas, Minister Dr. Samuel Urgatu on his part said,“The agreement we signed with Ministry of Innovation and Technology enables us explore our natural resources (minerals and petroleum) from the space as the topography of our country is difficult to act manually.”
Dr. Eng. Getahun also noted that earlier as a Ministry of Science and Technology and now as a Ministry of Innovation and Technology, his office has been busy with planning andpreparing roadmap that demonstrates the destination of the country in 2025 in the innovation technology.
Therefore, “the preparation of the roadmap started three years ago and the implementation is underway.” When asked about the commitment of the ministry in working with other institutions, he replied, “As a part of our duty to measure and lead technology beneficiary, we have been working with all,and particularly government institutions to support them augment their production and service in terms of quality, time saving and cost minimizing.
For instance, we have applied extra technology in health, agriculture and construction sectors that need ample of capital. In the health sector,on top of modernizing the Black Lion Hospital, we offered drone aided vaccine and drug supply for the rural areas”. Concerning about the firstsatellite to be launched in the coming September, Dr. Eng. Getahun said that the initiative had been taken earlier when Dr. Abiy Ahmed had been the Minister ofMinistry of Science and Technology.
And currently,“the intention is strictly underway in collaboration with the Institute of Ethiopian Space Science and Technology and China Aerospace Academy. For this purpose, 25 engineers were trained in China. The launching window period is set in September 2019 while the testing phase is underway.” Ethiopia will highly be benefited in launching its own satellite. While flying 700 km above the earth, the satellite is expected to serve in monitoring other satellites, exploring the country’s natural surface and underground resources on top of creating space technology capacity for the posterity, he noted.
Herald January 15/2019
BY BACHA ZEWDIE
