President Sahle-Work addresses the “Road-to-Addis” global conference on digital inclusion

Addis Ababa, March 18, 2021 (FBC) – President Sahle-Work Zewde has opened the Road to Addis Connect2include international webinar conference stressing need to address specific needs for digital inclusion.

The session underway entitled “the Road to Addis Connect2include” will address the specific needs for digital inclusion of women and girls, youth and elderly, persons with disabilities, children, indigenous people and people living in remote areas.

On the occasion, the president said digital Technology is one of the core endeavors in the past years towards a brighter, more resilient and inclusive future. Digital technology can radically transform lives and help the world rapidly recover from what has been lost due to COVID -19 pandemic.

The technological advancement is made challenging, especially in developing countries. Chief among the challenges is the ever growing inequalities in our communities. This disparity manifests itself in terms of access to affordable and high quality technology as well as the knowhow and education in utilizing digital technologies.

Because of this, we find ourselves unable to improve the quality of life of people and using digital technology to ensure social, political and economic development, she said.

Therefore, the concept of digital inclusion is of paramount importance of two basic underlining concepts, access to affordable and high quality technology and digital literacy competency that is needed to utilize the technology efficiency.

Leaving no one behind in the digital world means ensuring that technology is people-centered, the president underlined, adding that “This encompasses that no one is left behind due to the lack of connectivity or due to lack of accessibility of the digital transformation, products and services.”

This session the Road to Addis that we are launching today aims to address the specific needs in digital inclusion of women and girls, elderly and people with disabilities children, and people living in remote areas to achieve universal connectivity.

Ethiopia’s first ever digital strategy, digital Ethiopia 2025 has inclusive prosperity as one of aims of its main objectives. The strategy mainstreams inclusivity in every activity and projects of the strategy

Ethiopia is committed though digital inclusion in many ways among which is ensuring the connectivity is a reality for every citizen within its borders.

Ethiopia is embarking on bold reforms in the technology sector. One the reform is the sectors liberalization. The government has announced its intention to liberalize the telecom sector and process is underway.

It is being considered to leverage cost and management efficiencies. By taking such innovative steps, Ethiopia will address the critical gaps through high level political involvement to develop comprehensive roadmap regulations for the telecom sector liberalization, the president stressed.

Representatives of several world technology companies and research institutions are participating in the webinar.