Aligned with the ten year development perspective plan, Ethiopia’s Digital Strategy 2025 aims at realizing digital economy by 2025 so as to accelerate the country’s development journey. Ethiopia envisions being a middle income economy and prosperous country. To realize its vision, Ethiopia is exploiting the untapped potential of every sector and the technology sector in general is among the sectors which gained new attention especially following the 2018 national reform.
As part of the reform, since 2018, the government of Ethiopia has been taking steps to liberalize and privatize the telecommunications sector to ensure expansion and efficiency of digital services by promoting competition. The opening of the sector gives ample opportunity for foreign companies to invest in Ethiopia.
Safaricom becomes the first foreign company to operate in the Ethiopian telecommunication sector which already is in the market. The giant telecom operator in Ethiopia, Ethio Telecom, providing services for over 128 years in Ethiopia, is also expanding and modernizing its services. Through this way, the ICT infrastructure is showing significant growth in Ethiopia and business activities, services and financial transactions are digitalizing.
Last week, the 9th edition of the India- Africa Information Communication Technology (ICT) Expo was organized in Addis Ababa from August 9-10 with the motto “Bridging up gaps and Bringing Industry Together “. At the ICT expo, over 30 foreign and 16 national telecom and ICT companies had attended the two days expo, displaying their products. The event was jointly organized by Ministry of Innovation and Technology (MiNT), the Addis Ababa Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Telecommunications Equipment and Services New Delhi.
The India-Africa 2023 ICT Expo aims at technology transfer, promotion of the Digital Ethiopia 2025 strategy among stakeholders and experience sharing between companies and startups engaged in the ICT sector. Entrepreneurs working in the field of ICT, big companies and owners of various technology start-ups had also participated in the exhibition.
During the opening session of the expo, State Minister for Innovation and Technology, Huria Ali stated that the expo gathers together African and Indian companies and experts to promote their products and services and to create market linkage among the companies for technology transfer. India is working with Africa in telecommunication technology products, service, digital health, education, cyber security and other ICT sectors.
According to the state minister, India and Ethiopia have a long history of diplomatic relations, adding that the relation of the two countries in the ICT sector is showing significant growth. “Ethiopia is working to facilitate the service sector by supporting the sector through ICT,” Huria said adding “the expo would help Ethiopia and other African countries to strengthen the ICT ecosystem.”
The expo, for Huria, is crucial to share experiences of other countries ICT use in various areas, including education, health, tourism and other infrastructures, as India has internationally known ICT ecosystem. It also helps to enhance capacity building, strengthen existing relations and work together between India and Ethiopia and other African countries.
For her part, President of Addis Ababa Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mesenbet Shenkute, said that ICT is not a luxury for today’s Ethiopia but a means to transform the country’s economy to digital economy. According to her, ICT plays a crucial role in accelerating human progress, in developing societal knowledge and easing service provision and market transactions. It is also vital in promoting technology transfer, capacity building, multi-stakeholders partnership strengthening, and enabling data monitoring and accountability, among others, Mesenbet reiterated.
The ICT sector is becoming the major driver for the economic growth for the world in general and for each country in particular. Developing the capacity of ICT technology would help countries to develop competitiveness and to accelerate their socio-economic development. Addis Ababa is organizing different international exhibitions and trade fairs in the sector. Local companies from Ethiopia should exploit similar opportunities to learn and share experiences, to connect businesses and to transfer technology. Understanding the role of technology especially ICT in economic development, increasing investments and taking continuous lessons in the sector support the country’s development endeavors.
BY DARGIE KAHSAY
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD FRIDAY 18 AUGUST 2023
