Ethiopia Organizes Comprehensive Digital Database of 2.7 Million Businesses

Addis Ababa May 27/2024 (ENA)  Minister of Trade and Regional Integration, Gebremeskel Chala disclosed that comprehensive digital databases encompassing 2.7 million of traders have been successfully organized to reinforce the ongoing digital transformation of the country.

In a bid to expedite the digital transition in Ethiopia, the East African nation has been aggressively investing and developing a transformative strategy to cultivate an innovative and knowledge-based digital economy by 2025. 

The Digital Ethiopia 2025 is a highly anticipated national program to leverage Ethiopia’s inherent capabilities and thrive in the digital economy of the country, it was learned. 

More importantly, this strategic initiative is closely aligned with the nation's homegrown economic reform agenda, the ten-year development plan, as well as regional and global digital transformation strategies.

Minister Gebremeskel emphasized that one of the key sectors within the Digital Ethiopia framework is the business domain to facilitate the journey towards a digital economy by seamlessly connecting the private and public sectors. 

He highlighted that the implementation of Digital Ethiopia is creating a favorable ecosystem to empower the business community as the primary driver of the digital transition.

Accordingly, the Ethiopian commercial law, which has been in place for years, has been meticulously amended to harmonize with the national and international digitization landscape, he said. 

 Moreover, a state-of-the-art digital hub has been established and operationalized, enabling the business community to access 16 vital services, including business license registration, through the convenience of the internet.

Furthermore, Ethiopia has prepared a comprehensive e-commerce strategy to elevate the nation as a global competitor and active participant in the digital world. This strategy will be approved and become effective as of its approval, he said.

In line with the directive from the ministry to accelerate the national digital transformation, the database of 2.7 million traders has been diligently registered in a secure digital archive. 

 In order to safely store and analyze this vast trove of data for the country's benefit, the data centers constructed within the Ethiopian Information Technology Park have taken a lion’s share.

 The minister also highlighted the park's direct engagement with the business sector, serving as a hub where young individuals can find jobs and even establish their own enterprises, fostering a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem.

To further propel the digital transition within the business community, the government is actively working to enhance the digital skills of professionals, in collaboration with Ethio-Telecom, even in the face of intermittent network connectivity challenges.