Safaricom Ethiopia Wins Praise for Rapid Subscriber and Network Growth
August 27th 2026
Safaricom Ethiopia CEO Wim Vanhelleputte welcomed the GPE Board members and acknowledged their continued support and contribution to the company’s growth and development.
Members of the Global Partnership for Ethiopia (GPE) Board have commended the rapid growth and achievements of Safaricom Ethiopia during the company’s first five years of operations in the Ethiopian market.
The board members made the remarks during a town hall session with Safaricom Ethiopia employees, where they reviewed the company’s progress, key milestones and priorities for the years ahead.
Safaricom Ethiopia CEO Wim Vanhelleputte welcomed the GPE Board members and acknowledged their continued support and contribution to the company’s growth and development.
Vodacom Group CEO Shameel Joosub highlighted the pace at which Safaricom Ethiopia has expanded its subscriber base, noting that the operator has reached its current subscriber scale within five years, a milestone that can typically take telecommunications companies between 15 and 20 years to achieve.
Safaricom Plc CEO Dr. Peter Ndegwa, C.B.S., also praised the Ethiopian operation for its rapid infrastructure deployment, particularly the expansion of its telecommunications tower network. He noted that the Ethiopian team had built, in four years, half the number of telecom towers that Safaricom has deployed in Kenya over 26 years.
The town hall provided an opportunity for employees to engage with the GPE Board and senior leadership on Safaricom Ethiopia’s performance, achievements and future ambitions.
The leadership said the company would continue to expand its operations and deepen its impact across Ethiopia as it builds on the progress achieved since entering the market.
Back