Common Areas of Cooperation Between Iran and Ethiopia’s ICT Parks Were Explored

At the beginning of this joint meeting between Iran's ICT Park and Ethiopia's ICT Park, the presidents and senior officials of these two parks introduced the present members. They also announced the main agenda of the meeting, expressing their optimistic perspectives about holding such joint meetings.

Then, Ms. Nabit, the Ethiopian Park’s Director of Information Technology Services, introduced Ethiopia's ICT Park, saying: “Ethiopia’s Information Technology Park was established in 2007 with the aim of attracting direct investments, strengthening the export of information technology products, enhancing knowledge, and managing direct and indirect employment procedures.” 

The Director of Information Technology Services of Ethiopia’s Park continued her presentation, referring to the potential capacities of each department in Ethiopia’s ICT Park and the approximate time required for exploiting them. 

Then, Mr. Salman Mohammad, the Deputy General-Director of Ethiopia’s ICT Park, provided additional information about the Ethiopian ICT Park, saying: “Ethiopia’s Park is supervised by an Ethiopian Industrial Park Development Company (IPDC) which involves 13 different industrial parks, including the ICT Park. This Park provides many services, including the required administrative space for those investors active in information and communication technology, whose aim is providing services such as software development and relevant consultations. Besides, it provides necessary foundations for the investors who seek to build specialized spaces or data centres for providing services to their international clients. The Park provides infrastructural services such as electricity, internet, and other items as well.”

“Ethiopia’s Information and Communication Technology Park works in line with Ethiopia’s 2025 National Digital Strategy that determines the four pathways for the realization of the country’s digitalization program. One of these pathways includes presenting and introducing markets relevant to the field of information technology in which Ethiopia’s Park is taking steps to achieve its main goal. The park also works in accordance with the science, technology, and innovation policy, specifically identifying the role of information technology and digital technology in relation to the evolution of Ethiopia regarding information and communication technology,” the Deputy Director-General of Ethiopia’s ICT Park added.

As one of the first founders of science and technology parks in Iran, Dr. Mohammad Jafar Sadigh Damghanizadeh, the Advisor to the Minister and the President of ICT Park, thanked the Ethiopian Information and Communication Technology Park, expressing his intention to initiate joint activities with the Ethiopian Park.

“Iran’s ICT Park calls for conducting joint projects with different African countries in order to expand the scopes of the ICT Park and proceeding with the programs for internationalizing its areas of cooperation,” he said. 

The Adviser to the Minister and the President of ICT Park then introduced Iran’s ICT Park’s propulsive projects that include exporting cultural and artistic data, providing cloud services, exporting these services to other countries in the region, implementing IoT in food security issues, water consumption management and maintaining smart cities, besides creating open operating infrastructures and expanding their application in Iran and other Persian-speaking countries of the region, and localizing hardware technologies required in CT industry and the national information network and intelligent logistics (transportation with UAV and IOV).

At the end of his statements, he invited the Ethiopian Information and Communication Technology Park officials to visit Iran’s ICT Park and proposed mutual cooperation, starting with the establishment of Iran’s ICT Park branches in Ethiopia and Ethiopia's ICT Park branches in Iran. 

In the course of this meeting, Dr. Abbas Ghanbari BagHestan, Communication and International Affairs Advisor of ICT Park, introduced Iran’s ICT Park, stating, “This ICT Park was established by Iran's Ministry of Communication and Information Technology and is also licensed by the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology for operating in information and communication technology field. In 2017, this park was launched as the first Iranian science and technology park in ICT and the esteemed President of Iran’s ICT Park has more than 30 years of experience regarding the management of science and technology parks.”

The Communication and International Affairs Advisor of ICT Park also provided a detailed report on the park’s activities, including the number of park branches, the number of associated companies, the number of park products, and other relevant issues, elaborating on the Park’s potential capacities for mutual cooperation at the regional and international levels.

Dr. Ghanbari Baghestqan stated that the main goal of Iran’s ICT Park was to support innovative and technology-based businesses active in information and communication technology.

“Currently, more than 60 companies are operating in Iran’s ICT Park,” he added.

He went on to point out the potential possibilities and the taken measures for internationalizing Iran’s ICT Park.

“This ICT Park has started cooperating with different countries, including Mali, Ghana, and Nigeria. It should be noted that due to Iran's geopolitical position in the Middle East and its access to Central Asia and China, Iran’s ICT Park can help Ethiopia’s ICT Park to enter the markets of Central and Eastern Asia (such as Afghanistan and Pakistan). Iran can also lead Ethiopia to the Turkish markets, paving its access to the Western regions, including European Union. Iran’s ICT Park intends to cooperate with Ethiopia’s ICT Park and will appreciate any proposal offered by the Ethiopian park,” he concluded.

At the end of the meeting and after summarizing the main points of negotiations and issues of interest, due to Ethiopia’s request, the two sides decided that the representative members of each park finalize a memorandum of understanding concerning the proposed plans and the agreed areas of cooperation to be implemented after being signed by the officials of the two parks.

It is worth mentioning that Dr. Mohammad Jafar Sedigh Damghanizadeh, the Advisor to the Minister and President of the Information and Communication Technology Park; Dr. Abbas Ghanbari Baghestan, Communication and International Affairs Advisor of ICT Park; Eng. Mohammad Ali Jafari, Acting Deputy President for Market Development; Mr. Reza Ranjbar, the Political, Economic, and Consular Expert of Islamic Republic of Iran-Addis Ababa Embassy, were present at this joint meeting between Iran’s ICT Park and Ethiopia’s I CT Park, beside Mr. Sorafel Shamlis, the Director of Ethiopia’s ICT Park; Mr. Salman Mohammad, the Deputy Director-General of Ethiopia’s ICT Park; Ms. Nabiet, Director of Information Technology Services; Mr. David Mohammad, the Director for Supporting and Supervising the Investors; Ms. Basent Girma, the Expert of Information Technology; Mr. Evont Yirga, the Director of the System, and Ms. Eskederetshager, the Expert for Supporting and Supervising the Investors.