Excitement rippled through Ethiopia’s tech community two weeks ago as social media buzzed with news that Google Play Console had opened its doors to local developers, enabling them to publish their apps and games.
Before the October update, Ethiopia was not a supported location for creating a Google Play Console account—a platform necessary for managing, publishing, and distributing apps on Google Play. The Minister of Innovation & Technology Belete Molla (Phd) expressed his hopes that the new access will create potential for the nation’s digital economy while he urged local developers to reap the benefits. He also highlighted that this achievement was the result of ongoing efforts to integrate Ethiopia into the global tech ecosystem.
“This positive milestone was achieved following discussions I had on behalf Ethiopian Ministry of Innovation and Technology with the Google team in late October, where we formally requested support for Ethiopia during their visit to Addis Ababa,” wrote prominent tech figure Solomon Kassa on his LinkedIn page. Solomon also celebrated the milestone on social media, heralding it as a turning point for Ethiopian developers.
Take Endod, for instance—a platform connecting clients in Addis Ababa with laundry services. Despite the growing demand for its services, the Company has struggled to publish its app on Google Play. Endod’s co-founder and CEO, Falma Garedow, sought help from friends and family abroad to register the platform using a foreign address.
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