Ethio Telecom launched the Ethiotel Innovation Program in collaboration with Huawei Ethiopia to empower the nation’s technology-based startups.
Ethiotel’s innovation program, launched on February 6, 2023, would empower and support the nation’s startup digital finance and technological businesses and innovators far beyond its all-round efforts to expand and modernize services.
At the launch ceremony, Ethio Telecom CEO Frehiwot Tamiru stated that it is a golden opportunity for startups and to accelerate the country’s aspiration of realizing digital Ethiopia. She also stressed that the program will have paramount national significance in empowering and supporting solution-oriented technologies.
Huawei Deputy CEO Michael Liu, on the other hand, said that the program will support the digital transformation of Ethiopia while boosting the digital eco-environment. Liu noted that the innovation program will give all companies a chance to embrace the digital era. And Ethiopian users will enjoy digital infrastructure to accelerate the digital economy.
The Ethiotel Innovation Program is designed to be implemented in three chapters mainly to address the challenges that any startup business would face, such as market penetration, customer attraction and retention, acquiring experts and finance, etc., and enable business ideas at conception to be realized and existing startups to grow.
The selected winners and startups will obtain professional expertise, financial support, and material support. They will also be sponsored to gain international experience.