Ethiopia Hosts Its First INDIA-AFRICA ICT Expo

Aug 12 , 2023

A two-day ICT-EXPO geared towards fostering strong business ties between India and African countries was held at Skylight Hotel, Airport Road last week. Close to 45 ICT companies hailing from India, Ethiopia and a few other African countries exhibited their products at the expo that had over 1,000 visitors. Mesenbet Shenkute, president of Addis Abeba Chamber of Commerce & Sectoral Associations (AACCSA) highlighted the capacity to attract foreign direct investment and save currency. "ICT is the order of the day," she said. The Telecom Equipment & Services Export Promotion Council (TEPC) partnered with the Department of Telecommunications of India and the Ethiopian Ministry of Innovation and Technology to organise the expo along with the Indian Embassy. Arun Gupta, Director General of TEPC, suggested that India contains all the necessary ingredients in the telecom sector to build strong relationships and create a wide-reaching telecom network. Indian Ambassador to Ethiopia Robert Shetkintong disclosed that over 300 Indian companies are investing in Ethiopia with six of them being involved in the ICT sector. Balcha Reba, director general of the Ethiopian Communications Authority, indicated that the role of international exposure and exchange of experience is paramount as the telecom sector opens to new operators.