TechPression

Tag: Ethiopia

  • Ethiopia’s Safaricom secures $1 billion

    Ethiopia’s Safaricom secures $1 billion

    Safaricom has excitedly announced that it has welcomed the investment made by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA).

    The announcement follows the equity investment and guarantees into the mobile network operator.

    Chief Executive Officer of Safaricom PLC Peter Ndegwa stated that he, along with the other members of the Global Partnership for Ethiopia (British International Investment, Sumitomo Corporation, Vodacom and Vodafone), was looking forward to working with the World Bank Group to jointly contribute to the telecommunications reform programme, digital transformation goals, and inclusion goals.

    Read also: Safaricom and Google Partner on YouTube content production

    Benefits to Ethiopia’s telecoms sector

    This will provide Ethiopians with access to technology and mobile communication on a world-class level, both of which will stimulate economic growth in the East African nation of Ethiopia.

    Ndegwa explained further that “the equity investment by IFC and the 10-year guarantees of US$1 billion by MIGA is a show of confidence in Ethiopia as a viable growth market” as well as in their  business.”

    His remarks were in reference to the investment that had been disclosed the previous day.

    It is envisaged that the equity investment, the loan, and the guarantees made to support the ongoing building and management of Safaricom Ethiopia’s greenfield telecommunications network will result in internet access that is more inexpensive, mobile connection that is more dependable, and technology that can be utilised by enterprises and individuals alike.

    IFC will make an equity investment of $157.4 million in GPE and will also make an A-loan of $100 million to Safaricom Ethiopia, which is GPE’s fully owned subsidiary. As a result of the acquisition, IFC will have a position in Safaricom Ethiopia that is below majority ownership.

    MIGA’s contribution

    Guarantees from the Millennium Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) in the amount of one billion dollars will be provided over a period of ten years to cover the equity investments made by Safaricom Ethiopia’s owners, who include Vodafone Group, Vodacom, Safaricom, and British International Investment.

    The MIGA Guarantee Facility, which is a component of the Private Sector Window of the International Development Association, will provide a first loss layer for a portion of the MIGA guarantees, totaling $76 million. This layer will come from the MIGA Guarantee Facility.

    Safaricom Ethiopia will be able to roll out and operate 4G and 5G mobile networks across the entire nation with the assistance of investment and guarantees. This includes both rural and urban areas.

    Additionally, in accordance with a licence that was awarded to Safaricom Ethiopia in May 2023 by the Central Bank of Ethiopia, the company intends to start financial services in 2023 under the brand name M-PESA.

    With a population of about 120 million people, Ethiopia is the second most populous country in Africa (the most populous country in Africa being Nigeria).

    About Safaricom

    Safaricom PLC is a mobile network operator in Africa that is traded openly on the stock market. The Safaricom House in Nairobi, Kenya serves as the location of the company’s headquarters. It is routinely recognised among the most successful firms in the East and Central Africa region and holds the position of being Kenya’s most important provider of telecommunications services.

    The business offers many different products and services, such as mobile phones, mobile money transfers, consumer goods, online commerce, cloud computing, data, music streaming, and fiber optics, among others. The most well-known characteristic of it is that it is the place where MPESA, a mobile banking service that is based on SMS, was first created. This is the most well-known aspect of it.

  • Ethiopia to welcome new telecom providers in 2023

    Ethiopia to welcome new telecom providers in 2023

    According to the Director General of the Ethiopian Communication Authority (ECA), the organisation is making preparations to publish a call for expressions of interest for a third telecom provider at the beginning of February 2023.

    On November 16, 2022, the authority published a request for stakeholder participation for the third telecoms operating licence. This development is a direct result of that announcement.

    The Director General of the ECA, Balcha Reba, stated that there is a significant opportunity for the country to accommodate a second telecom operator, “ECA has now resumed the licensing process for a third license or the second new full-service nationwide telecommunications license.”

    “We have invited different international consultation companies to evaluate the document,” he added.

    “Preparations are underway to float an expression of Interest to bring potential investors who can acquire the third licence or the second new full-service licence.”

    The regulatory body is enthusiastic about inviting prospective bidders and any other parties who might be interested to take part in a consultation process.

    Read also: Qene Games utilize Ethio Telecom to market its mobile games in Ethiopia

    The Analysis of Events 

    In accordance with the findings of the stakeholder consultation document, the granting of the licence will take place within the first three months of 2023 and will involve a competitive procurement process.

    In a manner comparable to this, it will publish an expression of interest in the beginning of February, and it will continue to be accessible for one month following an analysis of the coverage of all responses from stakeholders for the next month. In relation to other forms of financial activity, it is asserted that the prospective new entrant will be granted permission to provide mobile financial services once they have satisfied the requirements set forth by the National Bank of Ethiopia.

     

    Previous Developments Surrounding Ethiopia Telecom 

    In October 2018, the Ethiopian government announced its decision to move forward with the reform of the country’s telecommunications sector. This decision was made in order to advance the implementation of the government’s economic reform agenda and to increase competition in the telecommunications sector in the context of bettering market conditions. Additionally, the decision to move forward with the reform of Ethiopia’s telecommunications sector was announced.

    Gambia Praises Nigeria on Telecom Regulation

    The government issued a request for proposals in June 2020 for two more telecom licences. However, only one new operator was selected. Therefore, the ECA cancelled the B bid for the other licence once it was determined that only one new operator would be needed.

    After the cancellation, on September 28, 2021, ECA issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the second brand-new full-service national Telecommunications Service License. At the time of the RFP’s release, the bidding process was still ongoing. The ECA made the announcement in December 2021 that the bidders had temporarily withdrawn their bids, which brought a halt to the procedure that had been going on up until that point. ECA indicated in a statement to the industry that it had received “concerns and requests from many prospective bidders to delay the process” regarding the follow-up. The message was in reference to the follow-up.

    After two previous attempts to win, the bid is currently being resubmitted for a third time.

    The ECA awarded Ethiopia’s first-ever competitively-tendered Unified Telecommunications Operator License to the Global Partnership for Ethiopia (“License A”) on May 31, 2021. This private partnership is made up of Safaricom (Kenya), Vodafone Group (UK), Vodacom Group (South Africa), CDC Group (UK), and Sumitomo Corporation (Japan). They are now doing business as Safaricom Telecommunications Ethiopia.

    At the moment, the government is in the process of selling off a forty percent stake in the publicly traded company Ethio Telecom.

  • Hibret Bank launches digital payments platform for Ethiopian businesses

    Hibret Bank launches digital payments platform for Ethiopian businesses

    Hibir e-commerce, a digital payments network developed by Hibret Bank, allows Ethiopian companies and merchants to accept foreign card payments online. The Hibir e-commerce service is a first in Ethiopian banking. The move will help local businesses reach new markets and make more money, and it will also make it easier for Ethiopia to join the digital economy.

    Hibir e-commerce, which Mastercard Payment Gateway Services power, lets companies and merchants accept Mastercard and other payment cards from foreign customers. The gateway also makes online shopping easy, safe, and seamless.

    It will also ensure that retailers get paid in foreign currency for online sales without going through the usual long process of settling payments. It will also ensure that retailers get paid in foreign currency for online sales without going through the usual long process of settling payments. This service will be critical in attracting foreign exchange into the country.

    Read also: Kuda’s Remittance Product Hits The U.K.

    Hibret new digital payments platform

    The e-commerce solution, according to Hibret Bank CEO Ato Melaku Kebede, is in line with the bank’s 2030 objective to build a global payment ecosystem that benefits both cardholders and merchants.

    Hibret Bank and Mastercard have launched an innovative e-commerce solution to help local businesses grow internationally. This is part of Hibret Bank’s plan to become a market leader by investing in effective transformation, innovation, and digitalization. Kebede says that this relationship will help our customers get safe payment services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It will also help the bank meet a wide range of local and international needs.

    This partnership is happening at a time when more and more people are shopping online, which could lead to a cashless society. Since the COVID-19 epidemic started, online shopping has grown a lot, giving companies a much-needed lifeline while customers stay home. In 2020, when there was a pandemic, people around the world spent $4.29 trillion online, up from $3.46 trillion the year before.

    Because of this partnership, businesses will have access to a secure online payment gateway that will allow them to accept payments, get more customers, and make more money. This helps our plans to help 50 million small and medium-sized businesses join the digital economy and meet the changing needs of customers who want to buy things online in a safe and easy way.

    As a leader in payments technology, Mastercard is happy to work with Hibret Bank to improve e-commerce in Ethiopia and make it easier for more people to join the digital economy. This was stated by Shehryar Ali, Country Manager for East Africa.

    Senegalese B2B Marketplace Kwely Pushes for Made-in-Africa Products with $1M Seed

    History of Hibret Bank

    Hibret Bank is one of Ethiopia’s private banks. The first people who owned shares in Hibret were hardworking Ethiopians from all walks of life who pooled their money and helped start the bank. The term “Hibret” is derived from the Amharic word meaning cooperation and synergy.

    The bank was started on September 10, 1998. Over the years, it has become known for bringing new financial solutions to the Ethiopian banking market. Also, the bank’s transformational strategy for 2030 is put into action to build a strong financial framework and an “ecosystem” that customers, key partners, and stakeholders can all benefit.

  • Safaricom Is Set To Begin Operations In Ethiopia

    Safaricom Is Set To Begin Operations In Ethiopia

    The CEO of Safaricom Ethiopia, Anwar Soussa, has announced that operations will commence in Ethiopia by October 2022.

    Under the name Global Partnership for Ethiopia (GPE), Safaricom and its partners (Vodacom Group, Sumitomo Corporation, and CDC Group) got the license to do business in Ethiopia in July 2021.

    It was revealed in July this year that Safaricom would begin rolling out operations at the end of August or September. However, it was also made known that Safaricom services would roll out in spurts, with wider coverage planned by 2023.

    A statement from the telco has now confirmed these events. It means that a big client pilot of Safaricom Ethiopia’s network in Fire Dawa has already started. This is a part of the intermittent network launch that we talked about before. It will get the operator ready for a full-scale launch.

    “We are excited to begin our customer pilot for Safaricom Ethiopia’s network and services in Dire Dawa.” This is an important milestone as we begin opening the network to customers in order to test the end-to-end readiness of technical and commercial operations ahead of the full network launch. We thank the Government of Ethiopia, the Dire Dawa City Administration, the Ethiopian Communications Authority, community leaders, network, IT and distribution partners, and all stakeholders for all their support towards realizing this and future milestones. We will continue to share updates as we extend the network and customer pilot across other regions, towards our national launch in October 2022,” said Anwar Soussa, Chief Executive Officer, Safaricom Ethiopia.

    Safaricom and Nokia collaborate on Africa’s first 5G slicing trial

    Dire Dawa City residents can now use Safaricom Ethiopia’s 2G, 3G, and 4G coverage. Customers can also buy Safaricom SIM cards, and they can select the ideal phone number starting with the prefix 07 as well.

    The SIM cards, which come with data, phone, and SMS offers, will be sold in branded stores. They will be able to test the Safaricom network there for a month thanks to these deals, it should be noted.

    Although airtime will be sold from branded stores, customers will still be able to buy data, voice, and SMS units.
    Safaricom Ethiopia has announced that three stores will be open to clients for SIM purchase and registration, customer care support, and gadgets in Dire Dawa’s Kezira, Meskelegna, and Cornell regions.

    Their choice of language will be supported for customer care, including Amharic, English, Afaan Oromo, and Ag-Somali.
    By April 2023, Safaricom Ethiopia services will be accessible in 25 cities. (Ethio Telecoms has already begun testing 5G.) Ethio Telecoms has already started piloting 5G. Over the next ten years, Safaricom Ethiopia will invest an additional 8.5 billion USD with its partners.
    The investment is expected to lead to the creation of 1.1 million new jobs for Ethiopians.
    Safaricom in Ethiopia began a nationwide hiring drive in September 2021. The exercise aimed to select important leaders who would lead it toward its goals and missions. Before it was made available to the public, Safaricom also said that the process showed how much it cared about the country’s digital future.

    At the end of September, Safaricom had chosen its senior management group, which included citizens of Ethiopia and Kenya. More information about them is available here. Safaricom also says that it has hired 500 people. Of those, 320 are Ethiopian.
    It has now come to light that the operator will launch operations in August 2022. This is four months later than expected. Telecom services will continue to be added here and there, and coverage is set to grow in 2023.

    Read also: MTN Nigeria Witnesses 7.6% Mobile Subscribers Increase in 2022

    With the building of a $100 million data centre, Safaricom Ethiopia has made a lot of progress over the course of 2022. Since then, a second data centre has been built.
    Ethiopian authorities have also changed how foreign mobile money services operate, giving M-PESA an opportunity to enter the market there as well.

    More from Safaricom

    Safaricom Ethiopia is looking forward to switching on our network and services, starting with Dire Dawa in September 2022 and 24 other cities in phases across the country in the coming months. Currently, we are doing tests to ensure that Ethiopians will have a good time when we go live. We are working to fulfill our commitment to building the long-term foundations for our contribution to Ethiopia’s digital transformation and inclusion objectives to transform lives for a digital future, “said Matthew Harrison Harvey, Chief External Affairs and Regulatory Officer.

  • Qene Games utilize Ethio Telecom to market its mobile games in Ethiopia

    Qene Games utilize Ethio Telecom to market its mobile games in Ethiopia

    On April 11, Qene Games, Ethiopia’s first video game development studio signed a partnership agreement with Ethio Telecom, the Ethiopian Telecommunications Corporation to make its mobile games available to the local market.

    Inquest to solve the problem facing the African gaming studio in marketing their products, the partnership will provide a solution to the challenging payment issue that the industry is dealing with.

    Henceforth, Qene Games will now rely on the Ethiopian operator’s Fintech solutions to make its products more accessible to customers through subscriptions and in-app purchases.

    Chairman and CEO of Qene Games, Dawit Abraham affirm “  Africa has great potential to become a major game exporter and compete in the global creative and entertainment industry. However, the first step we need to take to make this a reality is to give African creators easy access to sell their content in the African market  ”.

     

    What does Qene Games do?

    Being the first game development studio in Ethiopia, Qene game is the creator of kukuklu, Gabeta, and Feta mobile games.

    On basis of consistency and desire to give its user the best experiences, Qene won  Apps Africa Awards for being the best entertainment app and the best app of the year, for its first two games.

     

    Read Also : Researchers Create Geolocation Application with Energy-Saving Objectives

     

    Through their African artistic styles, music, and characters, these African-inspired mobile games are enjoyable, engaging, and provide players with a uniquely genuine experience.

     

    About Qene Games and Ethio Telecom Partnership

    The partnership between Qene Games and Ethio Telecom will be a significant milestone in the development of the Ethiopian gaming industry. The partnership’s ultimate goal is to address the major difficulty facing the gaming industry – that of payment choices. Qene will make its games available through a variety of formats, including subscriptions and in-app purchases, by using the fintech solutions provided by Ethio telecom.

    Dawit Abraham, CEO of Qene Games “We believe that Africa has a great potential to become a major games exporter and compete in the global creative and entertainment industry. However, the first step we need to take to make this a reality is to give African creators easy access to sell their content in the African market. We are happy to have taken a step forward in this direction with our recent partnership with Ethio Telecom.”

     

    Read Also : EIB to Finance Chad’s ICT System and Digitization of Public Services

     

    Kukulu, Qene’s first mobile game will be used for the partnership. In Kukulu, a well-known Ethiopian smartphone game, players experience the epic journey of a courageous chicken that is fleeing for her life from her captor farmer. 

    There are more than four Ethiopian languages being used in the localization process, and the game has culturally appropriate characters and situations that Ethiopian gamers find appealing. Following this launch, Qene will seek to make its full games catalog, as well as additional high-quality games obtained locally and from other parts of the world, available to the Ethiopian market.

     

    Will Qene Game Do it Alone?

    Nothing can be done in isolation, the long-term goal of this collaboration is to increase the number of African games released on the continent as well as the growth of the industry by giving talented games developers with easy access to the marketplace.

    “Through this and coming partnerships, we want to provide African countries with enjoyable and relatable content, while at the same time showing young people in Africa that the gaming industry is a promising and financially viable sector to get into.” says Samuel Sisay, CTO and lead developer at Qene Games.

    Qene Games hopes to use its Pan-African Gaming Group membership to achieve this ambition. The Pan African Gaming Group was formed in February 2022 to unite 10 leading African gaming studios. This group presently has fifty mobile games available.

    The Pan-African Gaming Group (PAGG) focuses on creating and releasing material for African gamers. Qene Games, PAGG, and Ethio telecom will enable African game creators to localize and distribute their games in Ethiopia.

  • Ethio Telecom Ethiopia Delays Telecommunications Privatisation

    Ethio Telecom Ethiopia Delays Telecommunications Privatisation

    Ethiopia government said today that it will postpone the current privatization of state-owned Ethio Telecom and did not provide a timeline for when the process will resume.

    The Ethiopian Federal Government has decided to postpone the privatization of Ethio Telecom due to “recent developments” and by “fast-moving macroeconomic changes both globally and from a country perspective,” according to an announcement posted on Twitter by the Ethiopian Ministry of Finance official account.

    “The government of Ethiopia thinks that taking time to adjust to the improved macroeconomic circumstances and continuously improving Ethio Telecom financial performance will result in higher value for all parties involved, particularly Ethiopian citizens,” the release states.

    The Ethiopian government issued a request for proposal (RFP) in September 2021 to invite proposals from “interested parties who can add value to the company by bringing in the best practices in terms of operations, infrastructure management, and next-generation technological capabilities” for the partial privatization of Ethio Telecom.

    Read Also : Kenya Power Settles a $22.7 Million Debt with US Firm


    The government of the Horn of Africa country has been planning to sell a 40% part in the country’s lone telco since June of last year. According to sources, the government intends to keep a 55 percent interest in the operator while selling the remaining 5% to local investors in an initial public offering.

    What to know About Ethio Telecom

    The Ethiopian government’s plans to liberalize the country’s monopoly in the telecom industry included the proposed sale of a major minority interest in Ethio Telecom. Two foreign airlines were granted licenses to operate in the enormous, nearly unexplored market as part of the strategy. Safaricom was one of the carriers chosen by Ethiopia, and it is presently preparing to launch in the country.

    “The authorities motive for selling a part of Ethio Telecom to private operators is that the government wants state-owned firms to be competitive and productive,” Zinabu Yirga, Deputy Director of Public Enterprises, Holding and Administration Agency, said at the time.

    Read Also : Egypt is leading the way in Africa in terms of smart city adoption


    The “recent developments” and “fast-moving macroeconomic changes both globally and from a country perspective” mentioned in the announcement could refer to both the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian conflict in Europe, which has had numerous knock-on effects in the tech world and elsewhere and the ongoing conflict in Ethiopia Tigray region, which has killed half a million people.

    “The Ethiopian government remains dedicated to completing the privatization process and looks forward to re-engaging with existing and new companies that have expressed interest in the RFP in due course,” the release ends.

  • Ghana To Develop Regulation On Artificial Intelligence

    Ghana To Develop Regulation On Artificial Intelligence

    Artificial Intelligence and its Development In Africa

    In Africa, many governments are building up Artificial Intelligence ecosystems. Artificial Intelligence holds promise in countries where governments have made technological development a national priority.

    Kenya, Ghana, South Africa, Ethiopia, and Nigeria are the African countries in which the push for technological advancement is most aggressive. These governments are taking concerted measures to stimulate innovation and to improve data protection, research, and development.

    The Future Of Artificial Intelligence In Africa

    Artificial Intelligence is supported by national strategies to capitalize on a 10-year global boom. As a result, African nations are taking steps to commercialize Artificial Intelligence research and development.

    The Future Of Artificial Intelligence In Africa

    The success of mobile technologies across Africa is prompting speculation among Tech investors about whether Artificial Intelligence applications will take root in Africa.

     

    Read Also: 5G Network in Africa 

     

    Artificial intelligence systems filter emails, recommend items for purchase, provide legal advice and drive cars. Carrying out these basic everyday tasks, Artificial Intelligence is bound to be wildly accepted by the African populace.

    Ghana And Artificial Intelligence Development

    In 2019, 300 Ghanian youths were trained in Artificial Intelligence through the Ghana Tech Lab initiative to upskill, develop and grow viable start-ups that solve pertinent problems in the country. This development has improved the pace of Ghana’s Tech Sector growth hence, the need for regulatory action.

     

    Read Also: The Race To Conquer Space in Africa 

     

    The Deputy Minister for Communications and Digitalisation, Ama Pomaah Boateng, in a speech at the Data Protection Week Celebration in Accra, Ghana, explained the need for the regulation of Ghana’s Artificial Intelligence.

    Conclusion

    Artificial intelligence works because a lot of personal data is fed into it, and with that comes privacy concerns over what happens to the data. The move to create regulatory guidelines on the use of Artificial Intelligence is in anticipation of Ghana’s technological advancement.