ADDIS ABABA — Owing to its far-reaching outcomes in facilitating social and economic development, improving public services delivery and creating jobs, Ethiopia has attached immense attention to digital transformation, the Deputy Prime Minister said.
The Deputy Premier Temesegen Tiruneh made the above remark yesterday while addressing the STRIDE Ethiopia 2024 Expo and panel discussion held at the Science Museum. Being hosted by the Ministry of Innovation and Technology (MinT), the Science, Technology, Research, Innovation, Digitalization and Entrepreneurship (STRIDE) Ethiopia 2024 annual expo is slated to be held from May 18-26, 2024.
Speaking at the occasion, Temesgen stated that several initiatives have been designed to realize digital-Ethiopia 2025 and to ensure digital economy transformation
Currently, there are many sectors that are dependent on technology and the youth are exploiting the digital sector to create more jobs. Since poverty is a pressing challenge of developing countries as of Ethiopia, it needs technology transformation to facilitate economic progress and change the people's livelihoods.
Having capitalized on its young population, infrastructure, big market, inclusion of technology in the Homegrown Economic Reform agenda and other instruments, Ethiopia has enormous potential to ensure digitalization. Also, the government has given a due emphasis to technology expansion and utilization in a bid to improve public service delivery, he elaborated.
The Deputy Premier further highlighted that Ethiopia has established a digital transformation council to address collaboration gaps between the private and government institutions, facilitate digital transformation and implement cost-efficient systems and others. "Furthermore, the effort requires narrowing the digital divide and literacy gaps."
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According to Temesegen, the government has been devising appropriate situations to increase the participation and investment of the private sector in the digital economy. Ensuring access to technology and improving the public services delivery are also its key focus in the future.
For his part, Public Procurement and Property Administration Agency Director General Haji Ibsa said that some 169 federal institutions purchased 250 billion Birr goods via Electronic Government Procurement (eGP) during the past seven months of the current Ethiopian fiscal year. Also, some 70, 000 suppliers have conducted transactions in this system.
The system has been contributing to utilize the allocated budget for intended purposes and averted malpractices witnessed in the area, Haji emphasized.
