Issue 53: Safaricom Gets Approval to Launch M-Pesa in Ethiopia

Hello, Last week, Ethiopia officially welcomed a second telecom operator with a grand event. During the ceremony, Amed Shidie, Minister of Finance, announced that the government would grant an operation permit for Safaricom Ethiopia to deploy its mobile money service M-Pesa in Ethiopia.The 53rd edition of Shega Weekly recaps major developments in Ethiopia’s innovative ecosystem. If you are here because someone forwarded you this email, you can subscribe here to get future newsletters.

Safaricom Gets Approval to Launch M-PESA in Ethiopia

Ethiopia has given the green light to Safaricom to introduce its popular mobile money service, M-Pesa, to Ethiopia.The announcement was made during the national launch of Safaricom Telecommunications Ethiopia (STE) in the capital Addis Ababa, at a ceremony attended by President William Ruto and his host Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed last week. Read more.

Ethiopia Inaugurates State-of-the-art Science MuseumAs part of its digital transformation endeavor, the government of Ethiopia has inaugurated a new science museum in the capital city, Addis Ababa.The facility was inaugurated during the Pan-African Conference on Artificial Intelligence 2022 and acclaimed as progress towards envisioning the future of technology in Africa's digital transformation. Read more.

Bank of Abyssinia Revamps Internet Banking for Corporate CustomersThe Bank of Abyssinia (BOA) has renovated its internet banking to offer seamless, personalized, and reliable digital banking to its business customers.The new features will support end-to-end digital business banking journeys from new customer onboarding, comprehensive account and payment services, payroll and bulk payments and a rich multi-tier/user approval system for corporate customers. Read more.

TenaSeb, Makoyamoms Named Finalists in African Early-stage Startup CompetitionTech African Women (TAW), a new Addis Ababa-based continental initiative that aims to support and accelerate women-owned African tech startups, has selected TenaSeb and Makoyamoms as country finalists in its first call for applications.Tenaseb is an application that provides education about sexual and reproductive health through consultations for women. Meanwhile, Makoyamoms is a platform that helps mothers easily get a caregiver at their disposal while offering young girls who have just graduated a job. Read more.

Safaricom Will Not Sell Unlimited Data Package for Two Years: CEOAccording to Anwar Soussa, CEO of Safaricom Ethiopia, the telecom operator will not offer unlimited data packages for at least two years.Safaricom who switched on its network and services in Addis Ababa believes that unlimited data packages put pressure on the network. Read more.

Mastercard Foundation Launches Platform to Facilitate EdTech Discussions in EthiopiaThe Mastercard Foundation, in partnership with Shega Media & Technology, is introducing EdTech Mondays: a monthly radio show that will serve as a platform to facilitate critical conversations on using technology for teaching and learning in Ethiopia. Read more. 

Here is what we've been reading:

Google’s $1 billion Africa investment is anchored on the ‘spirit of Ubuntu’Funding for African Startups Doubles in First Half of 2022The End Of Mobile Money Agent Networks As We Know ThemIf you are here because someone forwarded you this email, you can subscribe here to get future newsletters.