MTN Opts Out of Second Telecom Bid

Aug 14 , 2021


The MTN Group will not be participating in the second telecom license bid, its executives announced. It was one of the two bidders that were vying to get the first-ever private telecom license earlier this year. MTN was rejected after offering 650 million dollars, much lower than the 850 million dollar bid from the Safaricom-led consortium. Following the award of one of the two licenses to the consortium, the Ethiopian Communications Authority re-floated the bid this month after adjusting policy restrictions, such as the provision of mobile financial services. The ban that prevented foreign operators to involve in mobile banking services will be lifted, according to officials. The government of Ethiopia is also in progress to sell off a 40pc stake in the state-owned Ethio Telecom. It already called for an expression of interest a month ago, though it is yet to announce the number of interested bidders.


Radar

LOFTY CONSTRUCTS

A painting depicts traditional farming equipment at the Science Museum around the Arat Kilo area. Since the seizing of power by the current administration, large-scale architectural projects marked by grandeur have proliferated across the capital. The satellite city being built in the Yeka mountains, which is set to cost around 600 billion Br, according to the Prime Minister, is one such project yet to see the light of day. Some estimates put the plot size for the project at around 503hct despit...


Radar

CLEAN BILL

A queue for diagnostics at the nation's largest state-owned hospital, Black Lion. As the health sector is largely funded by development partners from abroad, decreased support as donors shied away due to the war in the North has required the suspension of several new projects. Social health Insurance slated for next year was scraped due to a budgetary shortfall of five billion Birr. With the physician-to-patient ratio titering at around 1:30,000, queues in public hospitals are commonplace in Eth...


Radar

ACRID GROUNDS

A street vendor puts up pepper for sale around the Lideta area. With agricultural produce accounting for the largest share of the nation's GDP at around 40pc, setbacks in the delivery of fertilizer have become a source of strife in rural Ethiopia. Only a third of the scheduled fertilizer of 1.3 million quintals has been distributed into the hands of farmers this year. This is despite the year being one in which the government claims to have met local demand for wheat and started exporting. Low p...