Ethiopia has begun the construction of an ICT park that will cost ETB5 billion (US$270 million) and is funded by the government.
The ICT park named Ethio ICT will be overseen by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MoCIT) and will aim to create a 200 hectare IT hub for the country.
The Ethio ICT park has already attracted private investors who will build their own hubs within the park.
“Private operators, ZTE, Techno Mobile and Security Innovation Network (SINET) have obtained 25,000sqm plots, each, to establish their own ICT incubation centres, manufacturing plants and software development centres in the Park,” Addis Fortune reported.
The new park to three ICT parks being built around the continent. Kenya’s Konza techno city is to create 200,000 jobs, while in Ghana the Hope City ICT hub will cost the country US$10 billion to construct.
This comes at a backdrop of the fast spiraling development of the IT sector in Africa, with the mobile phone growth being hailed as the fastest growing in the world.
Such parks and IT hubs aim to give opportunities to the African countries to venture fully into the IT industry and compete with power houses such as America and Japan.
“Softwares that operate in local languages will also be developed in the Park,” said Addis Alemayehu, member of the board of directors of ICT-ET, a sectoral association, and managing director of 251 Communications, a communications firm.
The ambitious project that is set to be unveiled in three years will also have child care centres, training centres, estate management, a fire station, police customs, and recreational facilities
“The Park will be divided into five zones, which include business, assembly and warehouse, commercial, administration and knowledge Park,” Addis Fortune said.
