Ethiopia aspires to make its economy digitized by 2025 and to that end; various steps have been taken so far. Currently, all over the world, digitization has been applied in various sectors and transforming the economy. The technology serves social media and enhances creativity and helps economic integration among various stakeholders.
It helps to ease bureaucratic hurdles which hinder economic activities. It is applied in various sectors such as education, finance, health, agriculture, marketing, transportation, tourism and many others.
Cognizant of the multifaceted values of digitalization, Auction Ethiopia Share Company recently displayed its new software utilized for bidding platform.
On the occasion, the Auction Ethiopia founding member and manager Yosef Arku said that the introduced technology is the first of its kind in the Horn of Africa and helps to accelerate creativity skills and it is a startup business by its own. Through the technology, one can participate in the bid from anywhere on the globe with no place restriction.
The auctioneer also can sell his/her property by feasible and deserved price as a result of the bid system makes the bidding process transparent and trusted.
It pursues strict procedures and helps only legible bidders to participate in the bid. It also helps for job creation, creates platform for banks and insurance companies to purchase and sell properties. The technology is created to be easily accessed by all citizens.
As to Yosef, the technology also helps bidders to participate in the bids in a safe way with no inconvenience. It accelerates cyber security activities and makes the system to be inclusive.
State Minister of Innovation and Technology, Yeshurun Alemayeh, on his part said that to modernize the bidding system, various studies and researches have been conducted both locally and internationally and the advent of the Auction Ethiopia in this regard is commendable. He further said that Ethiopia’s aspiration for attaining economic development and reaching the goal might be challenging unless supported by digitization.
Currently, the advanced countries still continued to play a leading role in science and technology and without digitization, the journey of their development would have been of a snail pace.
Auction Ethiopia created a platform to bid on the digitization system for public and private institutions and for individuals and in such a way, they can purchase and sell properties.
The platform is conducive and reachable by ordinary citizens with no place bound. The technology enables them to save their time and money to bid through their mobile phone or laptop. The digital transformation capacity plays pivotal role in accelerating business and trade cost effectively in a very short time.
As mentioned above, Ethiopia aspires to develop digital economy and the advent conducted by Auction Ethiopia can be said a supportive scheme in this regard. Digitization enables to change traditional trade in to the modern one and helps to accelerate economic development and create opportunity for stretching international value chain.
To develop the digital platform software used for bid, Auction Ethiopia took three years for study and research and the platform is a new one in East Africa. The major objective of the software development is to alleviate problems witnessed in the purchasing and selling of the bidding system.
The benefits that can be harnessed from the technology are multifaceted. In the first place, the bidders can access the auction easily from any places. A person from any part of the world can download the application by using his mobile phone and participate in the bid. In addition to these, it helps the winner to obtain the property or services in a blistering manner. The technology also helps many people to participate in the bid once in justifiable manner. The system also enables the properties dumped with no value in various parts of the country to gain value and to be sold in a feasible price.
The platform pursues strictly the reliability and significance of the properties provided to bid by sellers. In addition, it helps the purchasers to obtain correct information about the properties ready for sell and the bid procedures in a transparent manner. Such practice increases trustful sentiment among the bidders towards the auction system. It also brings opportunity to the international organizations and embassies residing in Ethiopia and other institutions to get access in any auctions conducted here locally.
As to Zelalem Gebrekirstos, Chief Executive Officer of the Auction Ethiopia, the company conducted study and research for three years to develop the software via participating PhD and Master’s Degree holder professionals specialized in Information and Communication Technology.
The system enables Auctions to be conducted based on the nation’s laws introduced with regard to auctions by minimizing time and labor. The software is recognized internationally and obtained ISO 9000 certificate. Participants can access the bid through transparent and fair competition.
If auctioneers forward similar property at the same time, bidder participants can purchase by preferring the lower price.
The traditional auction system that invites many bidders in one auction makes the competition very cumbersome. It costs time and energy of both the auctioneer and the bidders. Preparing documents needs huge money and make the procedures vulnerable to corruption. But the newly introduced software which utilizes the cutting edge information technology infrastructure alleviates the mentioned challenges and makes the matter easy and users’ friendly. It is also globally reachable and one can engage in the bid through using auction ethiopia.com website.
As mentioned above, Ethiopia aspired to develop digital economy by 2025 and to realize that, various measures have been taken. Among others, the government established the Ministry of Innovation and Technology and allocated the necessary budget and employed sufficient skilled manpower. To accelerate knowledge and to introduce the digitized technology, the Ministry of Education has been providing courses in the public and private higher educational institutions since long ago.
Currently, looking well qualified software engineers in the country has been common.
Many institutions have already digitized their system and in this regard Ethio- telecom is a vanguard institution and provided its products through digitizing system.
Transferring and transacting money for various purposes, purchasing airtime for voice, internet, and text services, for salary payment and purchasing goods and services through utilizing various devices such as smart phone with digitized technology can be mentioned in these regard.
The technology is also utilized for medical examination and treatment, conducting research and preparing data bases. It also plays pivotal role in media and communication.
According to studies, the social media is currently outshining the traditional media of Television, Radio and Print. Of course it is proved that there is some deficiency in some social media and websites. They are engaged in inciting violence and disseminating hatred speeches. Nevertheless, the social media has become more vibrant and interactive.
The digital media also empowered citizens because they can receive and disseminate information with images with no place and time hindrance.
Ethiopia is one of the underdeveloped countries with less familiarization and utilization of technology and it can be said that it is one of the root causes for the nation’s underdevelopment. Therefore, to eradicate poverty and achieve economic growth, the ongoing digitization of sectors such as agriculture, industry and service should be continued.
Agriculture is the main stay of the nation’s economy and it is vulnerable to climate change. Hence, to overcome climate induced challenges, availing meteorological information to the extension workers and farmers is vital because it helps them to take precautionary measures.
Currently, most farmers utilize mobile telephone and the provision of information regarding the weather condition by the Ministry of Agriculture through text message helps farmers to educate themselves with regard to crops, insects and herbs and these enables them to raise their production.
The digitized technology also empowers farmers by enhancing their bargaining power when they supply their products to the market. They get information about the price of their product through their mobile phone.
Tourism sector which is part of the service sector is also enjoying the digitized technology. Currently, one can obtain information about tourist destiny located in various parts of the country from anywhere in the world; can book hotels and travel agents and such practice is boosting the sector’s income and the government revenue as well.
Therefore, it should be understood that digitizing the whole aspect of the economy helps the country to stride in this regard.
BY ABEBE WOLDEGIORGIS
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD THURSDAY 16 NOVEMBER 2023
