IT can be done here

Cybersoft is a leading ICT solutions provider with 42 high caliber professionals dedicated to deliver distinct values and services and to bring about an ICT accelerated socio-economic development in Ethiopia and the developing world.

Cybersoft has come a long way since its incorporation in 1998, building an impressive list of local and international clients.

Tekeste Berhan Habtu, Cybersoft's CEO, says their goal is becoming a leading ICT hub in Africa . Describing third world countries existing brands impacting on western society Simon Anholt's asks in his book – Brand New Justice, the Upside of Global Branding, 2003, “Why can't the balance be redressed such as the case of Ethiopia's Cybersoft, a software company that has contracts in the US and Sweden…? If they can do it, why can't others?”

Though Cybersoft has over the years acquired international recognition, the local market still favors foreign companies for their ICT needs, says Tekeste Berhan . Eskinder Michael spent some times with him. Excerpts:

Cybersoft has created a solution - court system management – for several courts in Ethiopia . Can you elaborate on that?

Our company has authored 13 product lines in terms of solution for IT related problems. Some have been well implemented in the Ethiopian Justice system in 80 courts all over the country. In Addis Ababa we have installed our Court System Management Information in the Federal Supreme Court, Kera, Yeka, Menagesha and Meshualekia and similar other courts. In the Amhara region, they wanted us to implement this in over 40 courts and we are waiting for the go ahead signal to launch it. Their previous solution was done by another company but is in the old version; and as budget can not be set twice for the same thing it is lagging behind. The same is true for the Benshangul Regional State . In the Oromia region, we have it in 16 courts including the Oromia Supreme Court. And in the Somalia Region we have done it for the Supreme Court, about 25 courts including the Supreme Court in the Southern Nations Nationalities People's Region (SNNPR) and in Harar and Gambella we have done it for the Supreme Courts. Apart from that, we have taken the initiative of building a website for the Federal Supreme Court and it is almost done and when it is, we are sure that they will take it.

Have you equipped any other government offices with your solutions?

We have developed an Integrated Policy Information System (IPIS), a program that could work for every government office in Ethiopia . We embarked on the study following the initiative of the Ministry of Capacity Building and Federal Police Commission and we have completed the study and waiting for the green signal for its implementation.We also developed a program to automate the autopsy department for the Menilik II Hospital, to keep tabs on every autopsy performed.

In addition to that, we did the automation project for five universities in Ethiopia - Addis Ababa , Jimma, Mekelle [new version], and Bahir Dar and Arba Minch [old version]. The newer version is dynamic and keeps changing.

The problem with upgrading the systems though, is that many of our clients are not aware that it is dynamic. They think it is like a table or a chair and works forever. The programs developed for the Jimma, Addis Ababa and Mekele Universities are web based and if the senates decide that children can enroll on line, then, our program is built in such a way that students can get on line and register. The program also allows students to go online and check their grade reports. It also helps the school management in scheduling classes and students' placement.

Our peak product is what we call the Integrated Socio-economic and Development Database that has two core functions – development database and development processor. The main core module is the development of database and in order to bring about development, you need to have data of all your resources, being able to analyze the data to get indicators of where we stand, what the situation is like in terms of resources in comparison to the world or other competitors from micro and macro analysis. This system is essential for government offices to help them know their resources and its allocation wherever necessary. The software also performs budgeting, tax calculation and finally project management.
We have done this design for the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development (MoFED), in six bureaus of Tigray Regional State , one office in Amhara Region, one office in SNNPR and one in Addis Ababa City Administration yet to be completed due to the change of administration.

Cybersoft has created a software that would allow the government have its Civil Service Reform program on soft copy. Can you tell us how that came to be?

The solution we created for the government's civil service reform is the same for every office, so we don't need to customize it. We have already implemented the human capital management part for the Ethiopian Postal Service, the Ministry of Federal Affairs, the Ministry of Works and Urban Development. The Civil Service Reform has five sub programs under it: human resources management, ethics, web based public service delivery, executive information system and public expenditure system. Another part is the logistics or supply chain management and this covers inventory, purchasing, stores, transport, production and planning and distribution management. The other area is the knowledge management; most institutions don't manage their knowledge well (in terms of information and skills).

With all this, it seems that your company is capable of proposing IT solutions for any type of need and sector in Ethiopia . Why then are foreign IT companies still taking the local contracts?

We often see foreign IT companies being hired for problems that can be solved locally by companies like us. People might not hear about us and even if they do, they may not want to know about us - it has all to do with perception. People believe that it can not be done here. I believe that there needs to be a paradigm shift. The same happened to the construction sector when there were only foreign contractors winning all the bids, but now local construction companies have taken the edge over foreign ones and this is what should happen to our sector too. We need to create awareness, though it might take longer than we may want it to.
We have done a lot of work with government offices and that is because sometimes they want to test the market, but the fact is that we are not given equal footing and not seen in the same light. You can't ask someone from abroad to be your brain when you can develop your own and make it
as good as that of the foreigner.

Do you also develop websites for companies? If so can you please tell me some of your clients?

Yes we do develop websites. We did the website for the Ethiopian Airlines and it was a gold award winner and a certificate later on. We also did the websites for the Ethiopian Privatization Agency, Ethiopian Investment Authority, Ministry of Education, a prototype for the bureau of Culture in Tigray, Bureau of Statistics and Population, Organization for the Development and Rehabilitation of Amhara, Dire Dawa City
Administration. The website for the Bureau of Culture in Tigray hasn't been posted yet because they haven't given us any information to upload yet. We also solved several network solutions and a good example is what we did for the MoFED (back in the days when it was called the MEDAC), and though we need to upgrade it, they haven't come forward with the request for us. We also did the network solutions for the Federal Cooperatives, Ethiopian Privatization Agency and we have designed the network solution for the Ethiopian Federal Police Commission though it hasn't been implemented yet. We have almost finished the network for the Berhanena Selam printing press. Our company is also skilled
in installing Wide Area Networking.

People want to join the IT sector these days and the job opportunities seem to be a little short. How do you see this sector growing in the near future?

The IT sector at the moment produces very intelligent youngsters who are interested to grow in the sector. A simple example would be the fact that our company has lost several of its employees to foreign IT companies in the US and of course Europe . There are good people, and if local IT companies are allowed to dominate the local market - which I believe they are capable of doing - I think that companies like ours would definitely hire every last IT graduate in Ethiopia because the market is there.

What the Indians did was send their people abroad for education and these people came back home with the knowledge and now, India makes about USD 20 billion in software exports and USD 11 billion from its local market. I say that IT schools should be spread, but only if local IT companies are allowed to hire these graduates by being given more of the local contracts.