Deputy Prime Minister Temesgen Tiruneh has inaugurated the Artificial Intelligence UniPod center in Addis Ababa. Ethiopia is positioning itself not just as a beneficiary but as a producer and trainer in the AI era, he stated. The center will integrate African technologies for global contribution.
On February 16, 2026, in Addis Ababa—or Katit 9, 2018 in the Ethiopian calendar—Deputy Prime Minister Temesgen Tiruneh inaugurated the Artificial Intelligence UniPod (Al UniPod) creation center. He emphasized that Ethiopia is advancing to not only benefit from but also produce, export, train, and lead in the artificial intelligence era.
"Ethiopia is being worked on to become a producer and trainer of the Artificial Intelligence breed," Temesgen Tiruneh stated. The center will integrate technologies developed by Africans for the world, serving as a national foundation that expresses the country's aspirations and dreams.
UniPod acts as a strategic asset, beyond a mere milestone, by equipping the nation with AI tools and structures needed for the current industrial stage. In the 21st century, legality is fluid, the deputy prime minister noted, as artificial intelligence operates based on data and algorithms. This initiative transitions Ethiopia from a technology user to a producer, enabling it to meet global standards while designing its own solutions. It shifts the country from being a dependent in the digital economy to one that controls its direction.
The center aligns with Ethiopia Digital 2030 and supports national economic reform agendas. It operates through strong collaboration involving the Ethiopian Artificial Intelligence Institute, Addis Ababa University, and the Timbuktu Initiative from partner governments.
