INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY GROWTH IN ETHIOPIA

The 1960s witnessed the advent of information technology in Ethiopia,

when the mainframe computers were introduced for the first time in
Africa. Despite being installed in the important sectors of military,
defense, finance, telecom, electricity & power, and railways, the
mainframes had no interactive boundaries within the sector.
Later, microcomputers spread widely in the country either by direct
purchase or through donor development aid. Like its predecessor, the
initial use of microcomputers was characterized by inadequate literacy
and patchy understanding of the technology by potential users.
A centralized approach to building information and communication
technologies in Ethiopia was first proposed by donor agencies such as
UNESCO and IDRC as soon as microcomputers were introduced to the
county. In 1986 national computing and information center was also
established. However, the intended goals were not realized by the
centre due to high control by the military government of the time,
inadequate resources, high turnover, shortage of skilled manpower
and insufficient knowledge of information technology by decision
makers.
After the change of government in 1991 the efforts were resumed with
regard to promoting the awareness and growth of computers. A survey
carried out in response to a study on national informatics policy in
Ethiopia in 1993 covering 81 major institutions reports 1550
microcomputers, 38 mini computers and 8 mainframe computers. 25%
of these machines were owned by international organizations and aid
agencies. By the end of 1998, extensive growth in computers in
business, academic institutions and households were seen raising the
figure to an estimated 15,000 microcomputers.
Awareness of the effect of information technology has been growing
among users in the field of research, those working for international
organizations and those in business. All of which has encouraged the
IT sector in the country - proliferation of private companies that
provide value added services in information technology, training
centers and the establishment of a computer science unit at Addis
Ababa University, efforts towards standardizing Ethiopic software, etc.
Public access links were introduced in 1990 and the first Internet
connection was established by the Ethiopian Telecommunications
Corporations (ETC) in October 1996 with a T1 connection to the United
States. Currently there are over 2500 Internet users but the quality of

service
leaves
much
to
be
desired.
Recent move of the government towards increasing the bandwidth to
1Mb line, privatization of energy and telecommunication sector could
open further opportunities for growth in information and
communication sector. However, surveys show as much as 83% of the
capacity of a PC is often underutilized and the quality of services
offered is often poor.

Challenges to the Growth of Information Technology in Ethiopia

Full adaptation of the technology has been difficult due to:

Lack of national guidelines and consistent information and

communication policy
Lack of academic institutions that act as sources of wellgrounded study in information technology
Non-existent computer literacy in primary and secondary
education
A weak education infrastructure
Shortage of skilled human resources and computing
infrastructure colleges and universities
The School of Information Studies for Africa (SISA) that was to
become a center of excellence in new techniques of information
systems development for Africa has limited intake of students degrees for less than fifteen African students per- due to its
heavy reliance on donor funding and lack of vision.
Shortage of programmers in custom and new systems
development
Poor quality of internet services
A restrictive information seeking culture
Limited access to software and training materials
Diverse local languages, scripts and dialects in Ethiopia - user
friendly interface in the local languages for on-line connectivity is
needed in promoting information sharing and developing a
successful national network in Ethiopia

The Role of International Organizations and Development Aid

Agencies
The international organizations and aid agencies have played a
significant role in information technology diffusion in the country. Their
existence has helped create opportunities for demonstrations of key
information technology, transfer of ideas, sponsoring structural

development projects and a potential market segment for emerging

small and medium enterprises in the field. The number of international
organizations recognizing the importance of information technology for
the development of local capacity has been increasing.
Potential Benefits of Information Technology in Ethiopia

Efficient communications for manufacturing, service and tourism

sector
Fast response to natural disasters and effective rural health and
family planning services
Effective governance and administrative effectiveness
Efficient education, research and communication of research
results
Access to global market and research information
Employment opportunities for small and medium enterprises
Effective and enhanced data and information gathering and
distribution for better planning
Enhanced national cohesion and integration of heterogeneous
social composition or geographical dispersal

Core ICT Application Areas for Development in Ethiopia

To attain the benefits mentioned above, Ethiopia should define areas
of outmost strategic importance that should be put in place for
continued economic development. This would include those areas that:

Promote food security (food chain information systems,

agricultural information systems and networks, etc.)
Help in overall poverty reduction enhancing quality and quantity
of education and health (basic education and health care
information
systems,
telemedicine
and
healthcare
networks)
Build the necessary human capital (school, university and
research networks)
Facilitate general economic activity (statistical information
systems, geographic information systems, judicial and
administration
systems
such
as
inland
revenue,
municipalities
activities,
land
registry
information
systems and networks)
Improve financial market and the development of private sector
(property, land and business registry systems and

networks, payment clearance and financial institutions

oversight systems);
Improve trade and global competitiveness (trade information
systems, customs and clearance systems, business
promotion information systems and networks)
Improve the delivery of infrastructure and social services
(transport,
communication,
utilities
management
information systems and networks)
Support the management of macroeconomic planning and
project implementation at national level (planning, budgeting,
monitoring, tax administration, expenditure management
system both at national and federal states level).
Assist in the preservation of the environment (regional
planning,
environment
monitoring,
early
warning
information systems, etc.)
Encourage the tourism sector (promotional and cultural
information systems) and
Provide conditions for popular participation (community
centers, information systems between various regions).

Recommendations
Ethiopia should develop a National Information Infrastructure (NII)
plan that covers the above mentioned areas of strategic information
systems and networks backed by efficient telecommunication networks
and
people
that
implement
it.
The NII plan should encompass connectivity (built on robust and low
cost technology), content (mainly strategic information systems),
infrastructure (human, energy, telecommunications, and social) and
enabling policy for private sector investment and participation.
Ethiopia should not leave ICT as sector for commercial interest or free
market and privatization as such but rather regard them as part of the
general
public
interest,
participation,
use
and
debate.
With the growing population pressures, the policy on rural economic
development requires considerable investment and attention to ICT to
achieve
sustainable
growth
in
the
long
term.
The application of information and communication technology does not
just encompass technology hardware, radios, computers, telephones
and software and the content or data, but also needs organization,
incentives,
procedures
and
people
The ability to participate in information and communication
technologies requires participation, partnership, understanding of
social implication of new technologies and management of changes at
national
level.
Furthermore, democratization of access to ICT to the 90 percent of

rural and sub-urban disadvantaged communities is also crucial. But it

requires
considerable
resources.
Some of the key steps for democratization of access to ICT that
remain as a principle to Acacia initiative and crucial for Ethiopia
include:

Promoting applications and services that respond to

communities' needs (e.g. enhancing the delivery of
education, distribution of health and agricultural
information, and other applications)
Fostering it and telecom policies which are hospitable to
ICT access in rural and small town communities (e.g.
changes in pricing policies, regulatory frameworks, the
delivery of public information, and promotion of universal
service/universal access);
Supporting human capacity and innovative infrastructure
that extends communication networks to rural and small
town communities (e.g. radio, satellite, cellular phonecomputer linkages);
Encouraging the development of tools and technologies
that facilitate ICT use by the marginalized groups
including the disabled and illiterate (e.g. graphic, touchscreen or language interfaces); and,
Developing, organizing and dissemination of content in
structured and non-structured format through a variety of
media to be accessed and advanced by communities.

Besides meeting the general needs of the rural areas the National
Information Infrastructure should take overall national strategy for
development into consideration. The NII plan should also be built on
existent tools and infrastructure that underpin the current economic
activity and new tools and technologies that must be put in place to
sustain emerging economic activity.