Inspired by technological products he saw for the first time while he visited his nearest town when he was ten, Kibrom Hagos created his own mobile phone. Now he is using his own hand-made mobile for communication purpose. Kibrom, 18 years old now, is a tenth grader .He is attending his secondary education trekking for hours from his remote village. As to him, until for the first time, a ten year boy, he visited his nearest town, a three hour walking distance from his remote village, he didn’t have any inkling about what electricity and mobile phone mean.
He was surprised to see the odd things for the first time. “When for the first time I saw people communicating using mobile phones with others far away from them, I took it as a miracle,” Kibrom said, adding that upon returning home, he could never stop thinking about the technological products he saw.
“I asked people about the names, functions and operation of the technological products I saw for the first time. Though the people I was asking have no detailed knowledge about the products, they briefed me about what they know,” Kibrom noted, adding that “after I understood the products are artificial gadgets, becoming an innovator of technological products took shape in my mind. It became my ambition and hobby. But I don’t know how,” he stated. Though Kibrom was attracted by the technological products and inspired to become an innovator, there was no opportunity for him to know how to make the products but also to scrutinize the products as his family didn’t have these products.
Since then, though it seems difficult to realize his vision, Kibrom’s passion and hobby was to become an innovator, inventor and technologist. Fired with this passion from his early childhood, Kibrom is now using his own hand-made mobile phone for communication purposes. He produced them from wood and used materials.
Kibrom Hagos lives in a remote rural village in Tigray Regional State, Emba Alaje district of Gezeme kebele. His village is located a three-hour-wak away from the administrative seat of the Emba Alaje district, Adi Shehu rural town.
His village has no road infrastructure, access to electricity and even accesses to networks in most areas. It is foregin to all modern livelihoods and technological products. Despite the fact that Kibrom lives in a remote rural village that has no access to energy, network and other basic services, he decided to focus on technological inventions and innovations parallel to attending school.
“Yes, I have no mobile phones. There is no electricity, there is no internet and I don’t’ even know computer to search about the products I want to produce. Still, I continued fixing things from wood and used metals.I also repair them. I tried my best to create something using the materials and resources at hand to apply my knowledge and to realize the dreams I want to achieve,” Kibrom reiterated.
At that time, of all things that excited him were mobile phones, which he badly wanted to have. Mobile phones were luxury gadgets for the rural people and his family didn’t have the economic capacity to buy a mobile phone for him. He decided to own that and thanks to his effort and creative knack, now, he owns a mobile phone that provides a full telephone service.
One day, while he was using his hand-made mobile and a radio produced by him in his rural village, travelers from urban areas passing through his village met him. And they wondered what type of products he was using as they saw him using a wood-made telephone and a similar radio. He briefed them about the products he was using telling them that it was he himself who made the gadgets. They became surprised and asked him how he managed to do so.
He briefed them that the products are his own inventions and he produced them initiated by the mobile phones he saw in towns. They took him to Adi Shehu town and introduced him to the office of Youth Affairs of Emba Alajae Woreda Administration. The Youth Affairs Office of the Woreda helped him to keep in touch with Tigray Regional State Bureau of Youth Affairs.Through that chain he got registered to compete at “Medeb Medayb” a television show that focused on innovational competition aired on Tigrai Television.
Kibrom told the Tigrai TV that he has a lot of invantions and he is trying to change them to innovation or products for mass usage with the available resources and materials in his rural village.
Still, his village is out of electricity and other basic services and he is repairing and assembling the products using odds and ends. “I used wood, metals and other simple products to change my ideas in to products,” he said.
“If you decide to achieve something, it is possible to realize it. I realized my dream of owning a mobile phone without buying from the market. The only thing I bought to communicate is the SIM card and mobile cards ,” Kibrom stated adding there are also other innovations that he is using right now. A hand-made radio, speaker, plane that can fly using remote control are among his inventions.
“The plane is simple and small, but it can fly up for an hour on end. I can control it using a remote control. But, if I get the opportunity, I can make a functional plane for transportation purpose,” Kebrom enthusiastically said.
“By the way, after I have seen a lot of cars in towns, I asked people whether a car manufacturing factory is available in Tigray or not. It was a surprise to know that all the cars thronging the towns are imported,” Kibrom expressed surprise. “Why we remain outpaced though we all are God-giffted human beings” Kibrom poses a question.If I get access to modern education and workshops, I can come up with troubleshooting and meaningful technological products. And he said there are talented and gifted minds that can invent and innovate technological products at home.
As it is demanding for him to produce additional products due to lack of inputs, he is using the products only for himself. His idea is to produce additional items for his family and villagers. “If I find necessary materials,workshops and lab facilities, I have ideas that can be easily changed to products that help to solve the problems of the society. Now, I am using the phone I made only for myself, if I do have resources, I can make additional phones for my village inhabitants.”
Kibrom never waited until he got opportunities to realize his vision; he produced his own products using the available resource at hand. “My long term vision is to produce plane at home,” Kibrom stated that he has a lot of innovational ideas on paper. For Kibrom, the biggest challenge in invention is to change the ideas in mind to products for the first time. If the idea has changed to product, it is easy to develop and modify it, as to him.
Tesfay Hadush, an expert at Tigray Youth Affairs Bureau, was surprised by the invention, efforts and passion of Kibrom. “It is nothing short of a miracle to see a youth from remote rural village producing his own mobile phone and using it for communication,” he said. For him, Kibrom has a creative mind, potential and ability to invent and produce something. “Medeb Medayb” Innovation Competition Director, Tesfa Fitsum for his part noted that he had experienced a difused feeling when he saw Kibrom’s innovations.
“It is a surprise to witness such invention from a youth from the far flung corner of the country. Happyness and surprise are what I feel. Still, it hurts to see this talented youths are struggling to produce things with odds and ends at hand for want of appropriate inputs and research facilities. He has a creative mind, unique potential and full capacity,” he said.
Both experts recommend extending support to talented youths of this type so as to promote technological developments and innovations at home.
BY DARGIE KAHSAY
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD FRIDAY 24 NOVEMBER 2023
