Technological Sovereignty Means Choosing, Adapting and Creating for Ethiopia’s Needs: Minister

Addis Ababa, September 29, 2026 (FMC) — Technological sovereignty means having the capacity to choose, adapt, develop and use technologies according to Ethiopia’s needs while maintaining independent decision-making, Minister of Innovation and Technology Belete Molla said.

Speaking at the opening of the STRIDE Ethiopia 2.0 Summit 2026, the Minister said Ethiopia must move beyond simply using and adopting foreign technologies toward building the capacity to understand, adapt and create technologies of its own as artificial intelligence, biotechnology and space science reshape global competition.

“Using foreign technology is no shame; the shame is failing to adapt anything from the technology we use,” he said.

The Minister stressed that technological sovereignty does not mean isolation, but rather the ability to make strategic technology choices, adapt them to national needs and develop domestic capabilities while continuing to collaborate internationally.

He said technology is becoming increasingly important to economic competitiveness, national security and data sovereignty, making it essential for Ethiopia to strengthen its ability to make strategic technological choices.

The government is also working to strengthen the country’s startup and innovation ecosystem through mechanisms introduced under the Startup Proclamation, including the National Startup Fund, regulatory sandbox and special incentives.

The Minister said Ethiopia has made significant progress in digital transformation over the past five years, moving from analogue systems toward digital platforms and from isolated government services toward connected digital public infrastructure.

Under Digital Ethiopia 2030, he said, the country aims to expand and integrate digital services and deliver measurable improvements in people’s lives through wider use of digital identification, digital payments and secure information exchange, while digitally empowering agriculture, health, education and manufacturing.

“We must digitally empower agriculture, health, education, and manufacturing. The measure of our success will be how much our people’s lives have improved,” he said.

He emphasized that research and innovation must increasingly address practical national challenges, including improving agricultural productivity, saving lives and raising industrial productivity.

Research, he said, should move “from paper to society, from laboratories to factories and from writing to the market,” enabling Ethiopia to progress from purchasing technology to adapting and manufacturing it and, ultimately, exporting homegrown technological solutions.

The Minister further highlighted the growing importance of artificial intelligence, biotechnology and space science, stressing the need to develop national capabilities in emerging technologies and ensure that their development remains human-centered, responsible, transparent and inclusive.

“Ethiopia has no option to remain a mere spectator in the age of artificial intelligence. No one will build artificial intelligence for us that understands our languages and solves our problems,” he said.

He identified the country’s youth as its greatest wealth, calling for greater development of programmers, researchers, engineers and entrepreneurs capable of driving the country’s technological future.

The Minister noted that Ethiopia’s 50-year journey in science, technology and innovation has laid an important foundation, while the momentum generated over the past five years provides an opportunity to translate technological change into stronger national capacity over the next five years.

The STRIDE Ethiopia 2.0 Summit 2026, being held from September 29 to October 1 under the theme “Fifty Years Journey, Five Years of Delivery, Fifty Years Ahead,” brings together government officials, former sector leaders, researchers, innovators, entrepreneurs, development partners, technology communities and youth to reflect on Ethiopia’s science, technology and innovation journey and its future direction.