Ethiopian IT consultant and Google Crowdsource coordinator
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Abdisa Bancha Jara |
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|---|---|
 Abdisa Bancha in 2024 |
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| Born | (1991-05-21) 21 May 1991
Geta, Bale Zone, Oromia Region, Ethiopia |
| Nationality | Ethiopian |
| Education | Haramaya University (BSc in Information Technology) |
| Occupation(s) | Software engineer; IT consultant; social entrepreneur |
| Known for | Google Crowdsource Ethiopia; OICT Solutions; African language digitization |
Abdisa Bancha Jara (Abdiisaa Bancaa Jaarraa in Oromo; born 21 May 1991) is an Ethiopian IT consultant, software engineer, and social entrepreneur. He is best known as the National Coordinator for Google Crowdsource Ethiopia and for his involvement in initiatives to digitize African languages. His work has been covered by independent news outlets including the BBC, Voice of America, the Ethiopian Press Agency and Addis Standard.[1]
Early life and education
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Abdisa was born in Geta, Nansebo Woreda, Bale Zone, Oromia Region. He studied Information Technology at Haramaya University, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in 2013.[2]
He also completed a range of professional trainings and online programs, including CISCO CCNA training, mobile application development training, Google Cloud training and the Google African Developer Scholarship (Pluralsight/Google).“Abdisa Bancha – LinkedIn profile”. LinkedIn. Retrieved 8 October 2025.
Abdisa began his professional career as a junior developer and later worked as a contact-center advisor and team leader at Ethio Telecom, where he was involved in customer self-service and mobile application initiatives.[1]
He served in technology and management roles at Rift Valley University (2017–2019), and in 2016 founded OICT Solutions, a company providing ICT services, digital training and consulting in Ethiopia.[3]
Since 2022 Abdisa has coordinated the Ethiopian chapter of Google Crowdsource, supporting volunteer efforts to collect and improve local language data for machine learning and localization, including projects for Oromo, Amharic, Tigrigna, Somali and Afar languages.[4][5]
Selected projects and clients
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According to OICT Solutions’ public profile, Abdisa and his companies have provided services to government and private-sector clients including banks, municipal projects and educational institutions. Examples listed on the company site include partnerships and projects with Siinqee Bank, Elilly Business Group, 3B Motors (inventory and POS systems), Dina Food Processing Factory (CCTV / central server installations), and various municipal digitalisation projects in Oromia; these client lists are taken from the company’s published materials and have not been comprehensively verified by independent press coverage.[6]
Contributions and impact
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Abdisa has been active in efforts to increase the online presence and usability of Ethiopian languages. Reporting by independent outlets has documented his involvement in volunteer coordination and language-digitization activities, and he has commented publicly on language inclusion and cyber-security issues in Ethiopian media.[7][8]
Awards and recognition
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- Bronze Prize, Youth Citizen Entrepreneurship Competition (Berlin, 2017).[9]
- Other recognitions and awards (for example, local awards for social media influence and OSA recognition) have been reported in company materials and some local media; independent, in-depth coverage for several named awards is limited or currently unavailable and has been tagged accordingly.[citation needed]
Independent media coverage of Abdisa’s activities includes:
- BBC Afaan Oromoo (profile and reporting on digital access and ICT outreach).[1]
- VOA Afaan Oromoo (coverage of Youth Citizen Entrepreneurship Competition results).[10]
- Ethiopian Press Agency (features on language digitization and cybersecurity commentary).[11]
- Addis Standard (coverage of language-digitization projects and community coordination).[12]
- Fana Media Corporation (coverage in Afaan Oromo on language efforts).[13]
