The Center, located in Addis Ababa, will roll out Augmented and Virtual Reality (EON-XR) knowledge transfer applications to millions of students and workers throughout Ethiopia.
IRVINE, CA, May 8th, 2017 – EON Reality Inc., the world leader in Virtual Reality based knowledge transfer for industry and education, and the Ethiopian Ministry of Education announce the establishment of an Interactive Digital Center (IDC) located in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. This is the fourth IDC in Africa and will lay the groundwork for a nation-wide roll out of Augmented and Virtual Reality (EON-XR) knowledge transfer applications across Ethiopia and the region.
H.E. Dr. Shiferaw Teklemariam, Minister of Education in Ethiopia and Dan Lejerskar, Chairman EON Reality during the signing ceremony
The EON-XR applications created by the IDC are part of Ethiopia’s growth strategy to reshape its economy into a manufacturing hub and turn into a lower-middle income country by 2025. With close to 100 million people, Ethiopia is the second most populous nation in Africa and has a very diverse population with over ninety individual languages spoken. These EON-XR applications are an important contribution to reach targeted growth rates in industry and continue Ethiopia’s economic growth. A key component of Ethiopia’s growth strategy is to leapfrog its workforce skills and knowledge by using the latest technology. This new IDC will create content and applications tailored to the Ethiopian market and localize existing EON Reality content for local distribution.
“We see the establishment of the IDC Hub as an important step in Ethiopia’s industrial upgrading strategy,” says H.E. Dr. Shiferaw Teklemariam, Minister of Education in Ethiopia. “Today, we are building the first AR/VR Interactive Digital Center which we plan to expand with satellites throughout the country as a part of our national roll-out. As the Ethiopian economy continues to evolve, the enhanced experiential learning that Augmented and Virtual Reality provide will accelerate the training of workers transitioning to higher skilled jobs and moving into new industries. Together, we can leverage the power of Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality solutions and the capability of the IDC Hub to develop new skills to create an ecosystem for innovation and economic transformation.”
The IDC Hub, which is slated to open in the third quarter of 2017, will contain a Virtual Showroom with over 16 different AR and VR systems, an EON Entrepreneur School, and an innovation center. The local EON Entrepreneur School will train local VR and AR professionals in Ethiopia to help develop the local Augmented and Virtual Reality ecosystem. Graduates from the Entrepreneur School will help shape the landscape of AR and VR in Ethiopia and also develop applications that will support tens of millions learn faster, remember longer, and decide better.
“This partnership marks a true milestone for EON Reality’s growth in Africa,” said Dan Lejerskar, Chairman of EON Reality. “To see our technology help an entire nation is a dream of our company. With large training and education needs to continue their robust economic growth, we see Ethiopia as prime example of how Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality can help countries accelerate knowledge transfer and fast-track a new generation of smart workers to become productive contributors to Ethiopia’s economic development.”
The IDC Project members, from left: Mikael Jacobson, EON’s VP of Business Development Europe and Africa, Dan Lejerskar, Chairman EON Reality, Sahleslassie Teka, General Director Federal TVET Institute of Ethiopia, Dawit Tesfaye Strategic Advisor for IDC Partnership
About EON Reality
EON Reality is the world leader in Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) based knowledge transfer for industry and education. EON Reality’s success is tied to its belief that knowledge is a human right and should be available, accessible, and affordable for every human on the planet. To carry this out, EON Reality, since 1999, has developed the de-facto standard for Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality based knowledge transfer software that supports devices from mobile phones to large immersive domes. EON Reality’s global app development network, with twenty-two locations worldwide, has created the world’s leading AR/VR library for knowledge transfer with over 7,000 applications. Over 36 million people worldwide have downloaded these applications. For further information, visit www.eonreality.com