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March
2002 -
Volume 1, Issue 2
ICT
Companies on The Rise in Addis
In the first
issue of our magazine we had compiled a directory of ICT companies
that listed 101 of them. In this directory are included the services
offered by the companies consisting of training, sales, web site,
networking, systems development and maintenance.
To compile the
directory, we were able to identify the companies and then obtain
the required information for inclusion in the directory.
(Please note
that the percentage calculation is based on the number of companies
delivering the service compared with 127 operating companies listed
in the directory. Companies are also counted more than once for
the number of services they are delivering.)
This is the
continuation of the compilation of the previous directory (see page
37), and the number has grown to 127 in the present issue.
It can be discerned
from the table that out of the total companies listed in the directory,
102 or 80.3% of them include training in their services while 65
or 51.2% offer maintenance services. On the other hand, 61 companies
or 48.0% provide sales services while 46 or 36.2% are active in
undertaking networking. The table further indicates that systems
development is another area of activity for 42 or 33.1% of the companies
while 26 or 10.2% specialize in web site design and hosting.
It can also
be noted from the table that companies that are engaged exclusively
in sales and maintenance businesses reach 13 or 10.4% out of the
total companies listed in the directory.
The information
from the directory further reveal that 49 companies or 38.6% of
the 102 companies are solely engaged in training only while the
rest of the companies pursue training in addition to other activities.
We would like
to emphasize the fact out of the number of 127 IT companies 102
or 80.3% are engaged in training. It is estimated that the number
of companies operating in Addis Ababa could reach some 200 since
the list of companies in this directory is not exhaustive. It is,
therefore, safe to conclude that the IT companies that concentrate
on training could certainly surpass 102. As can be observed from
the table, the majority of the companies are mainly engaged in training,
sales and maintenance. This could partly be explained by the fact
that this service areas would have been covered by a work force
that meet minimum qualifications whereas networking, systems development
and web site design require advanced skills in the respective areas.
There arise
relevant questions that need immediate answers as far as services
of ICT companies are concerned. One of the major concerns for individuals
as well as institutions in this regard would be the problem to form
the basis for selection of a service provider in the areas mentioned
above.
ICT Focus would
further dwell on this problem in its subsequent issues.
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