ICT

As a fast-growing economy, we understand growth cannot be achieved without adopting technology and innovation. That is why digitization is at the core of everything we do, be it agriculture, manufacturing, tourism, services and so on. In 2020 we initiated Digital Ethiopia 2025, a strategy that aims to leverage digitally enabled pathways to foster inclusive national prosperity. Since then, we have been leapfrogging into an economy transformed by digital-friendly policy reforms and e-governance. The dawn of a burgeoning digital economy is in the making.
We offer one of the most attractive investment destinations for establishing ICT-based businesses. We have the largest workforce in Africa and our digital-focused education system has created a growing, competitive, tech-savvy and English-proficient local talent pool. In addition, we offer one of the lowest electricity and real estate costs globally—enabling our ICT investors to maintain a lower cost of services. Our 200-hectare ICT-dedicated industrial park in Addis Ababa, with all necessary infrastructure and services, provides investors with a ‘plug and play’ opportunity. To improve IT infrastructure, we have recently opened the telecom sector and welcomed Safaricom as the second telecom operator in the country.

Yes, Ethiopia is on the way to becoming one of the new service providers in the global ICT space. Whether it is establishing businesses in software development, business process outsourcing or setting up data centers, we offer a low-cost, competitive, and ever-improving business environment for ICT-based investors.

Recognizing this opportunity, investors are jumping in. For example, Red Fox’s data center, built at the cost of USD 130 million, went live in 2022, and Safaricom Ethiopia followed suit by starting construction of its data center the same year.