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All Park, No Spark: Trouble With Ethiopia’s ICT Parks

Innovation

Once upon a time, Ethiopia had a dream. Rows of sleek buildings buzzing with innovation, startups pitching ideas, and software engineers solving continental challenges between macchiato breaks. That was the vision behind the Ethio ICT Park, launched in 2012 with a $45 million assist from China’s ZTE.

Fast forward to 2025 and the mood is… less Silicon Valley, more Empty Alley.

Here’s why.

And to be fair, some bits did get built. ZTE set up shop. There are fences. There are fiber cables. But after a decade, the park remains eerily quiet. You’re more likely to find cows grazing nearby than techies furiously typing code.

Here’s what we’ve got on the ground:

By 2023, the park was reportedly hosting fewer than 300 employees — a rounding error compared to Kenya’s Konza Technopolis ambitions.

Startups? Not so many. Internet access is patchy, power is flaky, and permits are, well… you know how we feel about those bureaucratic gymnastics.

And let’s talk cost. According to one Addis Fortune piece, tech entrepreneurs were stunned by the lease and setup fees.

Startups in Ethiopia face a plethora of challenges that a shiny office can’t fix: