Born: 1999 (Harar, Ethiopia)
Biography:
Betelhem Dessie, born in 1999, is an Ethiopian web and mobile technologies developer. She is renowned as the Founder and CEO of iCog- Anyone Can Code (ACC) and holds four patented projects individually, along with an additional three in collaboration. CNN has hailed her as the youngest pioneer in Ethiopia’s fast emerging tech scene.
Betelhem spent her early years in Harar, Ethiopia, where she was born and raised. Her remarkable journey in the field of technology commenced at the tender age of nine. It is worth mentioning that her father played a pivotal role in supporting her ambitions. Betelhem’s first exposure to computers came through her father’s electronic shop, where she was able to gain familiarity with the technology. In an interview with the Ethiopian digital news platform, Addis Insight, Betelhem recalls asking her father for money to celebrate her 9th birthday. However, her father, engrossed in work, expressed his inability to fulfill her request. This inspired Betelhem to take matters into her own hands, and she began working in her father’s shop, earning 1600 Ethiopian birr by providing audio and video services to customers. This experience fueled her passion for computers, and she soon developed skills in video-editing, computer maintenance, and cellphone software installation. By the age of ten, Betelhem had embarked on the journey of coding in HTML, teaching her classmates basic computer skills alongside her regular school work.
Betelhem’s contributions to her community did not go unnoticed, and she gained recognition from the government at a young age. As a result, she was interviewed by several local and national media platforms. Subsequently, she moved from Harar to Addis Ababa with her parents and became a developer for the Ethiopian Information Network Security Agency (INSA) at the age of twelve, where she served from 2011 to 2012. Currently, Betelhem is the esteemed founder and CEO of Anyone Can Code (ACC), an initiative done in collaboration with iCog Labs—a prominent Ethiopian research and development company specializing in Artificial Intelligence. ACC focuses on training children aged six to thirteen in areas such as robotics, AI, and programming. Additionally, Betelhem actively participates in the Solve IT program at iCog Labs, where she leads a team of over eighty young individuals in finding technological solutions to societal problems. Furthermore, she has trained forty girls as part of the Girls Can Code project, an initiative spearheaded by the United States Embassy.
Betelhem has emphasized the lack of female role models in the technology industry, stating, Unless you really are in the industry, there is no one to look up to in technology. She strives to be an inspiration for young girls interested in pursuing careers in tech.
Among her notable achievements, Betelhem has been attributed to the development of an application that maps irrigation projects in Ethiopia, aiming to aid the government in its efforts. Additionally, in 2018, she was a third-year Software Engineering student at Addis Ababa University.
Awards:
– List of official awards or recognitions received by Betelhem Dessie are not available.