The move comes as part of the long-awaited liberalisation of the country’s telecoms sector, a process that has been making stuttering progress since its inception by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed back in 2020. At the time, Ethio Telecom represented one of the last remaining telecoms monopolies in the world, making Ethiopia – with its population of over 110 million – a highly enticing market for foreign telcos. After delays related to the coronavirus and the ongoing civil war in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region, the liberalisation process was started last year with two new national telecoms licences being made available at auction. Alongside the introduction of new operators, the Ethiopian government also announced in 2021 that it would sell a 40% stake in Ethio Telecom, with the process initiated in June. It should be noted that Ethiopia’s newest telco, now named Safaricom Ethiopia, has gone from strength to strength in the past months.

Source: Ethiopian News November 17, 2022 11:27 UTC