Ethiopia has told foreign mobile money companies there will be no room for them to operate in the country, opting instead to promote local operators. This puts Kenyan telco, Safaricom’s plans in jeopardy considering it had hoped to introduce its popular M-Pesa mobile money transfer platform in the market of 100 million people. Safaricom had been...
Ethiopia’s central bank issued regulations allowing non-banks to offer basic financial services, opening the door for operator groups mulling entry to the country’s wireless market to potentially add mobile money to their portfolios. The guidelines are effective today (1 April) and allow for non-financial services companies to offer a number of services core to standard...
Internet and voice services are once again accessible in several areas of the Oromo region. The government of Ethiopia announced it at the start of the day, this March 31, 2020. Thus ended the blockage of telecom services which had lasted since January 7 in the areas of Kellem Wellega, Oromia West, Wellega West and Horo...
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCR) expressed, on March 29, 2020, its concerns about the prolonged interruption of the Internet and telephone lines in several areas of the region Oromo, in the midst of the Covid-19 crisis. The UNHCR, which believes that telecommunication resources are essential for sending prevention messages, mobilizing health...
A Washington-based software developer is recruiting other techies to combat the spread of the new coronavirus in his native Ethiopia, following the lead of countries such as China and South Korea with early experience in what is now a global pandemic. “We need an army of tech volunteers to help the Ethiopian Ministry of Health...
The public procurement and property transfer service of the Republic of Ethiopia has awarded the companies Imperial ICT Solution, National Marketers, Bridgtech and Maxi Tech the contract for 188 million birr (5.7 million dollars) ) relating to the supply of ICT equipment to the country’s 187 federal institutions. The four companies are those selected from the...
The Ethiopian government should immediately lift the shutdown of internet and phone communications in the Oromia region. The two-month-long shutdown has prevented families from communicating, disrupted life-saving services, and contributed to an information blackout during government counterinsurgency operations in the area. Since January 3, 2020, the authorities have disconnected mobile phone networks, landlines, and internet...
The Ethiopian government says it will postpone the awarding of two telecommunications licences to operators interested in entering the country’s market. The Ethiopian government has delayed issuing two telecommunications licences. Ethiopia’s State Minister within the Ministry of Finance Eyob Tekalign Tolina told Reuters that the process is likely to only take place after March 2020...
MTN Group has confirmed their support for this year’s Innovation Africa Digital (IAD) Summit at the Sheraton Addis, Ethiopia. As headline sponsor, MTN senior executives will join a stellar line up of top executives to speak at the summit and share their insights on the future of ICT in Africa in what will be a...
Econet Global, owned by Zimbabwean billionaire Strive Masiyiwa, is keen to acquire a telecommunications licence in Ethiopia, which is opening up the industry to foreign investment for the first time. The Horn of African nation has announced plans to sell as much as 49% of the state-owned monopoly, Ethiopian Telecommunications, and issue two new spectrum licences....
