Microsoft looking into setting up an application factory for developers in Ethiopia
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia - The US multinational software company, Microsoft Corporation, through its African initiative program, has started setting up application factories for developers across Africa, and through the program, Ethiopia is one of the countries where Microsoft plans to set up a plant.
During the 11th Innovation Africa Digital Summit 2013, which took place for three days here since Tuesday and was organized by Extensia, a UK-based company. some 500 giant ICT leaders were in attendance as well. Among them, Microsoft was one to speak about the Africa initiative programs the company has been working on. Some say Kenya is becoming the Silicon Valley of Africa. That, according to Microsoft, seems true with the company announcing that it has TV white space technologies more enthusiastically. It maintains relationships with I-hub and M-lab in Kenya.
Fernando de Sousa, General Manager of Microsoft Africa Initiative, told The Reporter that based on the very strategic relationship his company had established with Kenya, it would bring communities to the hubs. So with the coming of the communities, Microsoft believes it is about time to set up application factories for developers in Africa and particularly Ethiopia.
“From the communities springs a factory. I think what we have done is to look for the opportunities and we see a community of people in Ethiopia that are writing applications, that are taking technology and trying to build solutions. Being based in East Africa I think helps us create the scale to address a market potential like Ethiopia,†Fernando said.
According to Fernando, his company is venturing on small businesses here to get them into the digital world so that they would stay connected for queries of entrepreneurship and business management related issues.
Source: ethiopianreporter.com
