Beyond connectivity services, our company is actively involved in a range of initiatives aimed at digitizing, accelerating, and empowering the daily business activities of individuals and enterprises. Specifically, our company has organized three phases of innovation contests for innovators in cloud-based digital solutions and mobile finance sectors through an initiative called the Ethiotel Innovation Program aimed at promoting and supporting indigenous technologies and entrepreneurship by offering various training opportunities to start-up digital and financial technology businesses and professionals in our country.
As part of this initiative, ten innovation contestants, including the top three winners with the best creative ideas who advanced to the final round of the competition, received awards and support based on their respective ratings. The winners have passed through rigorous evaluations and ratings by the judges following their detailed pitch presentations of their creative ideas.
From the 439 contestants who applied for this innovation competition, 44 qualified contestants were invited, and 21 of them participated in the training organized by our company. The 21 contestants who advanced to the second phase presented their creative ideas in detail and were evaluated by the judges. Today, our company awarded and provided support to the top 10 innovative contest winners, fulfilling the promise made earlier.
The Ethiotel Innovation Program is designed to be implemented in three phases, primarily aimed at addressing challenges that startup businesses commonly face, such as market penetration, attracting and retaining customers, acquiring expertise, securing financing, and more. The program seeks to help turn business ideas at the conception stage into reality and support the growth of existing startups.
The primary objective of the program is to promote local solutions and problem-solving practices, attract skilled talent, inspire youth, and help individuals develop new skills. It also aims to support the development of creative ideas and the commercialization of new products that benefit the community. Additionally, the program seeks to create a collaborative environment for tech startups, technology partners, and industry players to bring out their best and contribute to the realization of a digital Ethiopia.
In the time ahead, as the designer of this innovation program and a key player in the ecosystem, our company, in collaboration with partners, will provide facilities to incubate, train, and empower startups and tech entrepreneurs. This will help create a competitive national capacity, establish innovation and co-creation platforms, and foster an enabling environment for the digital ecosystem. We will also support projects that address social challenges and promote social development alongside our partners, thereby positively impacting the growth of the digital ecosystem and advancing the nation’s initiative to become a startup hub on the continent.
September 4, 2024
Ethio telecom