The Ethiopian tech community is growing very fast, and it’s becoming more mature. Compared to many other industries, software and related tech fields are much easier to enter. A beginner only needs a laptop and internet access, and there are resources everywhere countless local channels, communities, and content creators.
That’s really encouraging and appreciated. It feels like a golden age for tech in 🇪🇹. There are also many developers and individuals succeeding in the local market, doing remote work, and living decent lives, even though many of them don’t create content or even have active LinkedIn accounts.
Overall, it’s exciting to see.
But these days, I’ve started noticing a gap when it comes to entrepreneurship. Things may look shiny on the surface, and there’s a lot of unconfirmed information going around, but I heard that more than 30,000 “Software Development” licenses were issued in 2018 E.C. Because of this, the government even introduced a special certification process through the Ministry of Innovation to establish new tech companies. So you need this certification to form a comany https://www.eservices.gov.et/en/services/1381-1063-1428/instruction
The reality is that most of the problems you face on this path cannot be solved through internet searches, ChatGPT, or asking questions in Telegram groups. I’m not even talking about the bureaucracy of getting a license — that’s actually the easiest part.
At that stage, you mainly rely on your circle, and sadly, it’s hard to find experienced people you can openly ask for guidance. The big players have already figured things out through years of experience, but it’s not easy to gather that knowledge yourself. Either they don’t want to share, or they are afraid to share.
When you combine this with the uncertainty and instability of the country, it can easily push you into a very difficult corner.
I wrote this after observing several tech companies that were created a few years ago and eventually failed.
So beyond all the hype, and before starting the entrepreneurship journey, think carefully about these realities and prepare yourself for them.
@codeitlab
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1May 28, 2026 769 3
