Africa

Third national ICT competition launched

Emnet Assefa

ICT Centre of Excellence at Addis Ababa University and Ethiopian Ministry of Communication and Information Technology announced today the launching of the third national Information Communications and Technology (ICT) competition.

Aimed at promoting the environment of creativity and innovation through encouraging and motivating innovative ideas in ICT sector, the competition was launched by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Communication and Information Debretsion Gebermichael.

Debretsion said that the competition serves as “incubation” as it’s only in its early stages but aims to go far. The Minister also isaid that the government was pushing hard to put in place ICT infrastructures for both local and international innovators and entrepreneurs to be engaged in the development of the sector, mentioning the ICT park that the Ministry has recently started working on.

Alemayehu Seyfu, consultancy and Outreach coordinator at the ICT Centre of Excellence said on his part the fact that competition ideas focus on the achievement of the Growth and Transformation Plan of the country and Millennium Development Goals makes it unique.

This year’s competition has two categories, one for the general public and the other specific to women. Sponsored by MTN, South African Telecom Company, the women’s category aims to encourage women’s innovation in the field of ICT.

Happy Buthelevi, MTN’s Country Director for Ethiopia said the few number of women participants in previous competition was the main reason why MTN is sponsoring the women’s section of the competition. “Very few women are involved in the ICT sector so it’s time we push more women to that end of innovation in the sector,” says Buthelevi.

The competition will start accepting application abstracts from June 1 to July 15, 2013 focusing on mobile delivered application for the general competition category while women can apply for any ICT related innovation. Winners will be announced over an ICT conference which will take place in November 28th to 30th same year and will be awarded up to 200,000 Birr, according to a press statement form the organizers.

Caption: Minister Debretsion Gebermichael (Center) announcing the completion

Photo Credit: Addis Standard/Emnet Assefa

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