ETHIOPIAN TECH IN TIME OF COVID-19

How many Ethiopian tech/tech-backed giants do you know? Which one of those are you currently using while at home away from the pandemic? Do you think that they are tech-free or tech-backed? I can imagine which ones you might name as tech/tech-backed giants. I can also relate to the services you might be using or have recently used. For the most part, the active services that are booming in Addis Ababa are tech or tech-backed and you surely would be thinking how big is the tech growing in Addis Ababa, even at the time of COVID-19.

In my opinion or as a matter of fact of observation, as a tech-guy, I can say tech is the least affected and most in use industry at such a time of the worldwide pandemic. We can see the booming in delivery and meter taxi services here in the capital of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa. As per qz.com’s report, Ethiopia is the top-ranking user of the Telegram App. Somehow, the touch of technology has changed into a slap, if not a punch, at the heart of Ethiopia.

Ethiopia may become a beacon of tech in the East of Africa if not in the continent. It’s not surprising that the Chinese government and even the world’s largest e-commerce company Alibaba are interested in investing in the development of tech in Ethiopia. There have been promising results and even giant companies that rely on the tech. And the local tech product and tech support are in high demand the ever before. Even as the UNDP agreed to pay half a million dollars to boost the tech in Ethiopia in search of a solution for the COVID-19 pandemic. Interestingly enough, the trust is within and nationwide as even the Ethiopian government is headed in the same direction.

E-commerce companies starting from numerous individual Telegram channels and groups to web and mobile-based services are what we see and talk about these days. Of course, we don’t yet talk about the service coverage of it. But, in the general sense, tech has taken advantage of the pandemic to shine over our lives and show why, where, and how we must continue to develop it. And every day, it seems we are one step closer to our future in tech.