Just three months after its start on October 6, Safaricom Ethiopia has expanded to five additional cities, increasing its national presence to 21. To begin, it aims to reach 25 cities by April.
The company, which is largely owned by Safaricom Kenya, has now turned on service in Hawassa, a city to the south of Addis Abeba, following recent expansions in Assela, Jigjiga, Sodo, and Dilla. Addis Abeba itself was wired in October of 2022.
A whopping 55.7% of the Ethiopian start-up is owned by Safaricom Kenya. In addition to Sumitomo of Japan (with 27.2%), British International Investment (BII) of the United Kingdom (with 10.9%), and Vodacom of South Africa (with 6.2%) are the other shareholders.