Information and communication technology is not a luxury for today’s Ethiopia but a means to transform the agrarian economy to digital economy, Addis Ababa Chamber of Commerce & Sectoral Associations President said.
A two-day India-Africa ICT Expo 2023, which brought together 30 ICT companies from India and over 10 from Ethiopia opened today in Addis Ababa.
Addressing the expo, Addis Ababa Chamber of Commerce & Sectoral Associations (ACCSA) President, Mesenbet Shenkute, said ICT has great potential to accelerate human progress and to develop knowledge societies.
ICT is also vital in promoting technology transfer and capacity building, strengthening multi-stakeholders partnership, and enabling data monitoring and accountability, among others, she added.
For Mesenbet, information and communication technology is not a luxury for today’s Ethiopia, but a means to transform the agrarian economy to digital economy.
Innovation and Technology State Minister Huria Ali stated that the expo is crucial to share experiences of other countries in various areas, including education, health, tourism and other infrastructures, as India has internationally known ecosystem.
According to her, the expo will also help to enhance capacity building, strengthen existing relations and work together between India and Ethiopia and other African countries.
India’s Telecom Equipment and Services Export Promotion Council (TEPC) Director-General Arun Gupta said TEPC mainly targets promotion and development of export of telecom equipment and services.
Telecom installation services, operation and maintenance services for telecom hardware as well as software, telecom network management services, and telecom consultancy services are among its services.
Citing that ICT sector has been the major driver for the economic growth of the world, Gupta said , noting that India has now all the ingredients of a globally competitive telecom industry.
The Government of India, along with Telecom Equipment and Services Export Promotion Council (TEPC) and the Indian Embassy in Addis Ababa, organized the expo.
The India-Africa Expo is expected to build and solidify partnership between India, Ethiopia, and other African countries in ICT and related sectors, according to the organizers of the expo.
Source: Ethiopian News Agency