The major tech event in Ethiopia opened doors to customers and partnerships – African Business

A good tech event can help open doors and build life-changing business relationships. It’s important to be prepared, to know how to pitch, to price and to pay for the booth. This can be difficult for smaller start-ups.

The International Trade Centre’s NTF V Ethiopia Tech project is geared to providing select promising companies the assistance they need to attend these kinds of critical events, win new leads, attract partners and investors, and help their business scale for export.

Bereket Tadesse is the CEO and founder of IT solutions firm. BEKI Square and #asbeza, an online grocery delivery business based on web and mobile app platforms, said the recent Africa Tech Expo 2022 in Ethiopia he attended thanks to NTF V Tech opened the doors to new business relationships.

“Participating in these kinds of events is very important. It acts like a springboard to sell our brand and imprint our name and what we can do,” Tadesse said.

The Expo was held in Addis ababa, 7-9 September. It was intended to foster relationships with key decision-makers in global technology. It showcased some of the latest disruptive technologies and innovators in Africa, and attracted an array of African entrepreneurs and global businesses.

“It was very encouraging for us. We found potential partners such as bank managers and payment solution investors,” Tadesse said. “We actually partnered with one payment solution company who was also there to exhibit. This will allow us to expand our business.”

“We are already working to configure their API with our applications and are about to test the payment gateway. With this partnership we can take on customers outside Ethiopia who want to buy groceries for their families in the country,” said Tadesse.

The Expo began with the official launch of the NTF V programme in Ethiopia, and included panel discussions by business and thought leaders on start-up ecosystems, telecommunications and fintech.

Pan-African ecommerce

NTF V sponsored five companies that had a booth at this event. They received targeted business diagnostics and training on how to exhibit and pitch to investors, calculate pricing, and how to value products and services.

Trade EthiopiaOne of those companies was, an online marketplace for B2B business connections.

“That was really helpful, we were really prepared,” said Bernabas Kidane, CEO of Trade Ethiopia. “Our booth was one of the more active ones. We managed to partner with a company based in Dubai, as well as sign up new members and register a number of people interested in the training we provide.”

Kidane sees his potential not only in the dynamic trading world globally but also in the African Continental Free Trade Area which encompasses large portions of the continent.

“I saw a gap. We created it because there was no cross-border platform for e-commerce connecting African countries. We are now scaling up. We have established a new brand name in Dubai, Africa Trade Gate,” said Kidane. He also partnered up with the African Business Magazine which focuses on connecting Africa to Middle East markets.

Kidane gained business exposure at the Africa Tech Expo which allowed him to help other start-ups focus on how to maximize such opportunities.

“First, they should start with a problem, measure the intensity of the problem, then know how to solve it, how to fill that gap. They should join an organization like ITC, which offers many free trainings online on business. Then attend events,” Kidane said.

Distributed by APO Group, International Trade Centre.