TEDxARADA Launched in Ethiopia by Tina Belay

TEDTalks originally began in 1984 when architect Richard S. Wurman and television executive Harry Marks gathered technology, entertainment, and design professionals to demonstrate groundbreaking innovations such as the compact disc, the e-book, and the Apple Macintosh. After losing money initially, the platform remained quiet until 1990 before eventually publishing its talks online for free in 2006. This online expansion gave rise to the TEDx initiative in 2009, which has since grown into a massive global footprint of over 49,000 events spanning 180 countries. Ethiopia has officially joined this worldwide network through TEDxARADA, which was founded by Tina Belay. Having grown up watching TED Talks, Belay envisioned creating a similar platform centered in Addis Ababa. She successfully acquired the official licence in 2025 with the objective of hosting events that feel distinctly Ethiopian.