GIZ, Orange, the Ministry of Innovation and Technology, The Ethiopian Investment Commission, and the Industrial Parks Development Corporation are launching an ecosystem that is specifically targeted to improve digital skills and innovation called the Addis Ababa Orange Digital Center. It was officially launched on February 25th in the presence of Abraham Belay, Minister of Innovation and Technolgy, Lelise Neme, Commissioner of the Ethiopian Investment Commission, Sandokan Debebe, CEO at Industrial Parks Development Corporation, Alioune Ndiaye, C.E.O of Orange Middle East & Africa, Peter Palesch, GIZ Country Director, Stephan Auer, German Ambassador in Ethiopia and Remi Marechau, French Ambassador in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia is set to be the third Orange Digital Center in Africa and will reside on a 500-meter square vicinity. It will have the purpose of bringing together several strategic programs under the same roof. It will consist of a coding school, a “FabLab Solidaire”, a startup accelerator “Orange Fab” and Orange Ventures Africa which is the Group’s investment fund.
Orange, with the support of GIZ, aids East Africa’s digital ecosystem by providing young Ethiopians with all its technological know-how to create more job opportunities. Orange Digital Center offers free programs that include training for young people in new technologies, supporting entrepreneurs, accelerating startups, and investing in them.
The partnership between GIZ and Orange includes 14 countries; Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Egypt, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Jordan, Liberia, Madagascar, Mali, Morocco, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and events.
“Building the ‘Digital and Innovation Ecosystem’ is a multi-stakeholder agenda that requires holistic policy envisioning, vibrant enabling system, and innovative and efficient collaboration among stakeholders like this “Responsible” move of Orange and parties involved; I must acknowledge and encourage, indeed it is an initiative worth investing on,” expressed Abraham Belay, Minister of Innovation & Technology.
Sandkokan Debebe, CEO at Industrial Parks Development Corporation also added, “We believe that the skills that will be developed here will be very precious to support the IPDC’s goal of making ICT park as a central hub to Africa, place of technological knowledge transfer, an opportunity for IT base job creations and a base for country’s progress toward becoming the middle-income economy.”