IBM Advises Ethiopia On Sustainable Projects

September 5, 2014 Niyi Aderibigbe Corporate Social Responsibility, Leadership

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VENTURES AFRICA – As Ethiopia continues on its path of accelerated economic growth, a team of 15 IBM experts have advised its leaders on key projects believed to be supportive of the country’s national Growth and Transformation Plan.
The business and technology experts pooled from ten different countries, under IBM’s Corporate Service Corps Program, and have worked with different government ministries and NGOs to help them attract foreign investment, deliver healthcare services, and track economic growth. The recommendations of the team were presented to Ethiopian leaders in Addis Ababa on Thursday.
“As we continue to forge relationships across the African continent, the Corporate Service Corps Program is a powerful way for IBM to provide national, municipal, civic and social institutions here with the same expertise that we provide our
commercial clients,” said Solomon Mengesha, IBM Business Development Manager East Africa.
“We see great potential in Ethiopia and strong interest in developing innovative solutions that can drive further economic and social transformation,” he added.
The team enlightened the people on the most effective ways of attracting foreign investments, delivering quality healthcare services and tracking the attendant economic growth, using mobile technologies, online portals and data analytics, along with the latest best practices in marketing, finance and project management.
Asides the Ministries of Health, Labour and Social Affairs and the Ethiopian Investment Commission, IBM also worked with Dow Chemical to provide counsel to International Medical Corps, the latest in a series of joint projects worldwide in which IBM has teamed with other companies looking to fortify their pro bono consulting programs.
The pro bono service is part of IBM’s Corporate Service Corps (CSC) program – a global initiative through which IBM deploys teams of its most talented people on projects aimed at driving social and economic development.
“Over the past decade, Ethiopia has become one of Africa’s biggest economic and social success stories,” said HE Dr. Kesetebirhan Admasu Birhane, Ethiopia’s Minister of Health.
Birhane stressed the importance of working with experts like IBM in Ethiopia’s journey towards economic and social transformation. The East African country plans to become a middle-income country by 2025. The minister noted that the country could leverage on the global expertise and leading technologies of IBM to ensure that Ethiopia’s success is sustainable and inclusive.
By the end of 2014, IBM CSC will have deployed 800 IBM employees for projects in South Africa, Ethiopia, Angola, Senegal, Tanzania, Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, and Egypt.