BY TEWODROS KASSA
No doubt, digital technology has contributed a lot towards transforming the lives of individuals today. Even though the level of its role is different from country to country, all agree that it will add value and ease human life significantly.
Digital Ethiopia 2025 National Strategy that has been set to transform the country’s national economy through four major pathway sectors and digitization of the sectors is expected to boost the economic transformation of the country.
The Ethiopian government has given due priority to digital technology and recognizes that the country’s aspirations and journey to realizing a prosperous Ethiopia, a conducive and inclusive for all is intimately tied to advancement in technology.
Currently, utilizing digital technology has become an important milestone towards changing the lives of millions through creating numerous job opportunities for the youths and women. As one part of the society, the youths are accessing new job opportunities through the use of digital technologies and selling their products successfully.
A number of Ethiopian companies that operate through the use of digital technologies are coming to the front at this time of globalization. The country was lagging behind in the case of digital technology access and use among the society. Thus, it is a must to apply physical movements to buy goods and services from anywhere.
However, some companies are now introducing the digital technology based services mostly in Addis Ababa and other growing cities of the country. Thus, it is required to promote such companies that become an eye breaker in the sector. The internet based ride transport services are one of the most important milestones that change the lives of Addis residents.
Recently, Africom Technologies and Ashewa Technology Solutions have signed a memorandum of understanding to work together in the efforts of digitizing Ethiopia. On the event it is indicated that promoting the technology sector would be significantly useful in achieving the goal of creating digital Ethiopia in 2025.
Ethio ICT Park General Manager Surafel Shemelis said the country is applying information technology pillars nationwide to achieve the plan of making digital Ethiopia in 2025.
As to him, these two giant technology companies are jointly working to help the country achieve the vision of information technology plan thereby ensuring digital Ethiopia within the shortest time possible.
He said, “Jointly undertaking activities would also enable the country to create huge job opportunities, foster market connection, transfer knowledge in the nation and back parks in their effort.”
Ashewa Technology Solutions, Chief Executive Officer, Daniel Bekele said, “We are endeavoring to ease challenges and make society’s life better. We are working on 13 types of latest technology areas and in a bid to transform the manual working culture to a sophisticated one towards reinvigorating the national economy.”
“As working together swells the capacity of discharging responsibilities, we have to amalgamate efforts to bring about real impact on societal life. To this end, we will apply rural inclusive technology interventions across the nation. Besides, the partnership will bring tangible change in technology solutions and make the rural localities accessible to technology. The companies signed to work together in the areas of doing research together, jointly provide training, share experience and finance resource mobilization.”
On his part, Africom Technologies Chief Executive Officer Baheru Zeyenu said that companies, the private sector and government are expected to work hard towards digitizing and connecting each other as this move plays a great role in making them fruitful.
“We have developed various software technologies and sent them to U.S. Africa, Europe and Asia apart from focusing on business consultancy service locally. We have to some extent soothed the impact of shortage of foreign currency in the nation since we have developed the new software in Ethiopia.”
As to him, they are working together to ensure digital Ethiopia is cognizant of the fact that solitary move leads nowhere and doesn’t help someone hit the set target. “We have planned to expand the best practices to foreign countries in the years to come,” he added. It was also learnt that Africom Technologies was established 18 years back by five persons.
In sum, in this era of digital technology different countries are generating more from the sector. Thus, being creative and well aware of the varieties of digital technologies utilization and increasing access to the digital technologies immensely helps especially the new generations to promote their talent and create job opportunities for them. The growing number of youth unemployment rates will also be settled through the use of this digital technology. Different economists also emphasized that the traditional way of creating job opportunities seems not enough to embrace all the youths. Thus, new mechanisms are available in the digital technology sector. The sector is also gaining momentum from time to time and attracting new competitive investors in Ethiopia.
The Ethiopian Herald December 31/2022
