An Ethiopian delegation, including policy makers from the Ministry of Innovation and Technology (MINT) and the Ethiopian Communications Authority (ECA), visited Korea on July 10-14, 2023, to learn about the country's vibrant digital economy and green data centers. Ethiopia is considering increasing its data hosting capacity and investing $30 million over the next two years in the development of a green data center and cloud migration. This exchange visit's knowledge and expertise promised to be invaluable, offering up new avenues for collaboration in three crucial areas:
• Green Data Centers: Understand the nuances of water-free cooling, efficient power use, and other best practices from Korean experts to help build environmentally friendly data centers in Ethiopia.
• Data Value Creation: Learn how to use cloud platforms for science-based policy making and explore ways to generate valuable data to boost Ethiopian smalland medium-sized enterprises and the economy.• Data Security: Focus on enhancing cybersecurity, developing a sound legislative framework for data protection, and planning for Ethiopia’s secure and inclusive digital future.The delegation began their knowledge exchange by visiting the energyefficientDataCenter at Korea Telecom (KT) CLOUD and discussing cloud migration options. Later that day, they visited the Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) and learned about sustainable data centers and data management policies in public services.
On Day 2, the delegation focused on enabling data ecosystems and data policy initiatives, learning from the Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) how Korea has successfully integrated data-driven decision-making into governance, as well as the revitalization of proactive private sector engagement in ICT industries.
On Day 3, the emphasis was on Open Data and digital governance. Visits to Korea's Ministry of Interior and Safety (MOIS)'s Digital Government Exhibit Hall and the National Information Resource Service provided the team with a deeper view on government data centers and how they assist.
The fourth and final day was devoted to a comprehensive visit by several stakeholders. At K-DATA, the group met with industry experts on greening of data and discussed data leveraging for entrepreneurs. The informative visit to NAVER, one of the technology industry leaders in Korea, included a visit to its Data Center GAK in Chuncheon, an illustrative example of the emblematic green digital infrastructure.
The Ethiopian delegation's knowledge exchange in Korea, facilitated and supported by the World Bank’s Korea Digital Development Program (KoDi), represents a key step toward Ethiopia's goal of a green, safe, and data-driven digital future. The Korea-Ethiopia collaboration creates the ground for the establishment of an advanced digital landscape in Ethiopia by encouraging collaborations and exchanging practical expertise. The outcomes of this knowledge exchange visit are likely to have a direct impact on Ethiopia's digital development strategy.
