U.S. Launches Ethiopia Hacks!

As part of its annual Global Entrepreneurship Week, the U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa launched its first series of hackathons under its Ethiopia Hacks! Program. The program will be conducted in partnership with the Google Developers Group (GDG- Addis) and the Centre for Women’s Economic Environment (CAWEE).

Theme for the first edition of the hackathon, held at the American Center in Addis Ababa, was entrepreneurship and participants will explore how technology can be used to support innovation and job creation.

Each hackathon will challenge young tech developers to identify prototype solutions to challenges in Ethiopia.

U.S. Ambassador to Ethiopia, Michael Raynor said by supporting and developing an eco-system that promote entrepreneurship, innovation, and technology, U.S. Embassy is investing the capacity of Ethiopians to shape their future.

“…as Ethiopia embarks on the hard work of building its brighter future, there will be challenges. But as this competition shows, challenges exist to be solved, and the challenges Ethiopia faces will be solved first and foremost by Ethiopians.” Raynor said.

The Ethiopia Hacks! will invest in the capacity of 600 tech-savvy youth who will have the opportunity to participate and generate solutions for their communities. Funding for this program will be provided by the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

The U.S. government is committed to promoting entrepreneurship in Ethiopia as a means to stimulate local economic growth, open new markets for U.S. companies, and increase global prosperity.