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Knowledge Economy - Technology Based

ICT Hub - Technology Center

ICT Center

The term ICT (information and communications technology) encompass all rapidly emerging, evolving and converging computer, software, networking, telecommunications, Internet, programming, information systems and digital media technologies. ICT plays significant role in building a modern state with a robust knowledge. In the knowledge and innovation economies of the 21st century, we increasingly depend on information and communications technologies because of the increased connectivity and productivity it enables.

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Establishing a Center or hub that provides infrastructure, equipment, hardware and software, so as to enable access to quality ICT, training and e-services is important. The center is the business incubator for technological entrepreneurship and its goal is to help technology-based entrepreneurs successfully develop their product and enable them to transition into the financing stage and enter the market. Its aim is also to enable the universities realize their mandate of innovative use of ICT services and products to support research, learning, teaching and administrative processes. It can also be a hub for initiating, planning and execution of joint ICT Competitiveness programs aiming at increased quality and productivity of local ICT industry.

 

The ICT HUB offers start-up support for entrepreneurs and newly founded small businesses with innovative IT ideas. It provides them with shared office space, a high-end platform for development and testing, joint support services, PR for their projects, quality technical and IT support and mentoring and education. It promotes the development of a digital knowledge-based society, enhance national efficiency and competitiveness, and promote sustainable growth and development.

In summary, a knowledge economy requires establishing an integrated set of institutions and knowledge centeres, including incubation centeres, R&D establishments, product development and marketing agencies, financing arrangements (and institutions) and effective sector regulators.

ICT Incubator Mission

ICT is widely recognized as a means of rapid economic development. But the business culture and approach to developing ICT business may impact its success. As a result the various elements of the business environment that each incubator will operate in must be considered.

 

In principle the Mission of the ICT Incubator is

  • Provide a safe, stable and secure place to start and grow companies that can offer needed services, support and equipment to the ICT community within the country and the region.

  • Create employment in both ICT and the larger business community.

  • Promote development of a free market system through training and education, making use of entrepreneurial talent to improve the community’s economic wellbeing.

  • Enable access to equipment and services required by the new companies.

  • Be a focal point of entrepreneurial activity, networking between tenant companies, the business community and potential partners. Read more

Center of Excellence

Establish Center of Excellence for Information and Computing Technology, a network of competency building centers that can assume a central role in shaping the Information Society in the country. The initiative involves the establishment of ICT Centers of Excellence in close proximity to universities which host academic institution in IT and related fields. The Initiative enables IT to act as a transformational agent for economic and social development of the society. To that end, it works to generate highly qualified IT professionals needed by the IT industry.

 

The center further works to create strong links to the private, public, and to NGOs communities to enhance their roles in the development drive. Among the strategic goals of the initiative is to provide capacity building that help entrepreneurs build viable IT businesses, through providing facilities, resources, and tools to develop both a research and development culture and activities in a rich environment for innovation and creativity. Read more

Research & Development

Establish tech research and development center to promote, develop and facilitate creative endeavors, research and development and foster the technological, economic and social wellbeing of the society, in collaboration with government, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the private sector. Read more

ICT Incubator Service

A full-service incubator will offer:

  • Incubator space: offices or workshops, sometimes labs, available on a flexible, affordable + temporary basis (easy-in + easy-out), more & more: pre-incubation rooms

  • Common services: incl. secretarial support, telephone answering, common reception, mailing facilities, LAN and other office equipment, meeting rooms and (in some cases) cafeteria/canteen facilities

  • Business counselling, namely ‘hands-on’ assistance with regard to business planning, training in management skills, access to accounting, legal-, marketing- + financial expertise, + ad hoc advice

  • Access to finance + specialist advice: some operate own seed + venture capital funds; access to specialist advice will be provided if an incubator does not have the skills + know-how itself.

Establish Conducive Environment for ICT business
To be globally competitive in the ICT industry, technology companies in Africa have to be able to match or exceed the best performers of ICT firms in all countries of the world. This means African countries must establish conducive environment for ICT business growth

  • Set National ICT strategy & Competitiveness Target: The target for national ICT competitiveness needs to be a clear, measurable result that can win backing from decision-makers and provide a baseline for assessing progress. The ICT industry should seek government commitment to a national goal of achieving defined and measurable goal in product and services. The target must be aggressive yet achievable that is comparable to a developing Country.

  • Create policies favorable to ICT initiatives and conducive to local ICT business environment. Implement policies to establish a world-class business environment for ICT growth, especially through initiatives to remove constraints on growth; Implement policies to establish a world-class business environment for ICT growth

  • Establish Best System Infrastructure - Build telecommunications infrastructure that is competitive in capacity, price, and consistency to deliver international and local bandwidth;

  • Speed up the introduction of services to exploit the new technology - Establish ICT Entrepreneurship/incubation/Industry Park. Introduce innovative skills diffusion systems so people may keep abreast of fast changing technologies and market conditions; Stimulate entrepreneurship awakening individuals and firms to ICT opportunities; and Expand international marketing and promotion by engaging the diaspora communities in ICT business development and fostering export growth and by developing an engaging global marketing message.

ICT Center Startup - Path 
The Path

Develop National ICT Strategy

  • Develop long & Short term National Goal

  • Identify key stakeholders/facilitators (Government, Universities, Local ICT Professionals, Local ICT companies, Diaspora)  and describe their role in the creation and establishment of the hub. 

  • The role of Government is important; much stronger activist government role like Singapore, can quickly achieve the desired goal.

  •  Describe the role the Ethiopian diaspora professionals can play in knowledge transfer/building.

  •  Establish & describe the incentive programs/policies to draw Diasporas professionals.

  •  Develop & describe business & investment friendly polices comparable if not better than the competing countries to attract startups,

Build The ICT Park with ICT infrastructure

  • Acquire & install all the hardware & software required with various operating system needed

  • Implement the system development, testing, staging and production environment with all the software migration programs to support

  • Implement the system support technical resource required for application development, testing and releases, etc. 

  • Establish the management, organization & Support structure with well defined roles & responsibilities for day to day activities, long term business/strategy dev., etc.

  • Secure government funding & budget for xx years.

  • Provide entrepreneurs with tools to build software skills, solutions and businesses to aid their success.

Improve ICT competitiveness by establishing center of Excellence

  • Establish niche/ differentiator capability

  • Establish Training programs

  • Seek Government/Business tech company sponsors

  • R&D (explore growth areas, business, etc.) with a focus on innovations in performance support systems to coordinate research teams that link “onshore” technical institutes with offshore counterparts;

  • Establish Diaspora engagement Program

  • Expand international marketing and promotion by engaging the Ethiopian diaspora in ICT business development and export growth and by developing an engaging global marketing message

  • Establish a global resource network for increasing skills, raising awareness of Ethiopia, and helping local entrepreneurs enter overseas markets.

 

Establish ICT Center

Establish System development & startup Support environment

  • Tech Startups, sys  developers

  • System development Infrastructure (Servers, internet,

  • Establish Structure SDLC  process

  • Establish sys development, testing & Deployment labs

  • Policies, standard, procedures

  • Collaborative internet website

  • Establish Knowledge Center & Best Practice

  • Establish E-learning systems & services, with an emphasis on innovations to enable affordable distribution of best practice skills in fast-changing technologies;

  • Establish Project management program and virtual teaming,

  • Establish E-government program, focusing on automation of public sector forms, workflow, and reporting systems

ICT Entrepreneurship/incubation/Industry Park & Business Startup

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