2merkato

The International Finance Cooperation (IFC) and Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), which are members of the World Bank Group, have announced an investment in Safaricom Ethiopia's greenfield telecommunications network across Ethiopia. The investment includes an equity investment, a loan, and guarantees to support the ongoing construction and operation of the network.

Prepay Nation and Safaricom Ethiopia have partnered to allow Ethiopians living abroad to send mobile airtime to their loved ones back home. The partnership is expected to benefit over 2.5 million Ethiopians who live outside of their country, particularly in North America, Europe, the Middle East, and the Netherlands.

TECNO Mobile, a leading mobile device manufacturer, held a high-profile exclusive event at the Addis Ababa Science Museum to unveil its latest and revolutionary cellphone mode, the Phantom V Fold ahead of its availability for Ethiopian cellphone consumers. The event marks a significant milestone for the company, as it brings its innovative new product to one of Africa's fastest-growing economies with a population of over 110 million people and home to a rapidly-growing consumer base, hungry for the latest mobile technology.

The first ever GITEX Africa opens its doors in Marrakesh, Morocco on 31 May and will run until June 2nd, 2023. As Africa's largest trade fair for technology and start-ups, GITEX Africa's mission is to strengthen digital transformation cooperation and partnerships across the continent, shaping the vision for a more connected, inclusive and sustainable digital economy. As one of the key players at this event, Huawei, a Platinum Sponsor, is reaffirming its commitment to unleashing the potential of digital technology to guide Africa towards new and ever more promising horizons.

Ethiopian students won third prize in the 7^th Huawei ICT Competition Global Final, which took place in Shenzhen, China, from May 24 to May 28, 2023.

Ethiopia is set to issue an international tender in June to license a third telecom operator. The Ethiopian Communication Authority’s (ECA) Director-General, Balcha Reba, confirmed that the Authority was finalizing preparations to award the license. Balcha noted that promotional activities had been carried out to attract companies to explore opportunities in Ethiopia, and the introduction of various incentives and the revision of investment laws had increased investor interest.

Jerome Henique, the CEO of Orange Middle East and Africa, met with Eyob Tekalign, the State Minister of Finance, to discuss investment opportunities in the telecom sector and potential collaboration.

The House of Peoples’ Representatives has ratified the draft Digital Identity Proclamation with a view to establishing a uniform and reliable identity registration system which will be applied across the country. The proclamation was given a go ahead by the Council of Ministers and referred to the Parliament in August last year.

Ethio Telecom’s Telebirr developed into Telebirr superApp which enables its customers to get access to various services including e-commerce, biometric authentication, food delivery, entertainment, utility bill payments, and transportation.

Ashewa Technology Solutions S.C. announced that it opened a branch in Nairobi, Kenya. The opening of the branch is expected to help in the development of eCommerce and digital market between the two countries.