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.


Radar

Ethiopias Capital Market Sets Sights on Talent Strategy

A new strategy to strengthen the human capital foundation of Ethiopia's emerging capital market is taking shape. Led by FSD Ethiopia in partnership with iCapital Africa Institute and the Nairobi Securities Exchange, the initiative is focused on building the skills, expertise, and institutional capacity needed to support the Ethiopian Capital Market Authority (ECMA). The second round of consultations took place on April 23 at Best Western Hotel, drawing key stakeholders including ECMA Director...


Radar

National Bank Upgrades Core Financial System to Global Standard

The National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE) has officially upgraded the Ethiopian Automated Transfer System (EATS), the country's Real-Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) platform, to align with the ISO 20022 messaging standard, effective March 29, 2025. Handling more than 3.5 million transactions a year worth over five trillion Br, EATS is a critical component of the country's financial ecosystem. It enables real-time, high-value settlements among 35 financial institutions, including commercial banks and m...


Radar

Spice Supply Hits 41,000tns in Nine Months

The South West Ethiopia Coffee, Tea, and Spices Authority has announced that over 41,000tns of spices were supplied to the central market in the first nine months of the current fiscal year, reflecting the region's growing role in the country's spice economy. The region is cultivating spices on more than 90,000 hectares of land, with major contributions coming from turmeric, cardamom, ginger, and black pepper. For the full fiscal year, the authority aims to supply more than 56,000tns of spice...