Safaricom Ethiopia Pushes Network Pilot Forward


Safaricom Ethiopia Pushes Network Pilot Forward

The executives of Safaricom Ethiopia Plc have expanded their large-scale network pilot to Awoday and Gonder towns in the Oromia and Amhara regional states, respectively. The expansion brings the number of towns testing the operator's network services to 10 since it first launched in Dire Dawa in late August. Harar, Bahir Dar, Adama, Bishoftu, and Debre Birhan are among the towns hosting the network. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Anwar Soussa and his team want to see the pilot reach 25 urban areas by next April. Last week, Safaricom Ethiopia inked a sub-lease agreement with the Industrial Parks Development Corporation (IPDC) for the construction of a new data centre in Addis Abeba's ICT Park. Projected to cost 60 million dollars, the data centre will be the telecom operator's second in the country. Safaricom set up a data centre in the capital's Akaki-Qality District at a cost of 100 million dollars earlier this year.


Radar

DREARY LANES

A street lamp around Addis Abeba Stadium melds into the concrete backdrop emblematic of the capital's ageing infrastructure. Over the past few years, Ethiopia's electric grid has been subject to destruction and theft, subjecting the public treasury to hundreds of millions in losses. Nearly half of the country's population does not have access to electricity. A series of projects by the World Bank has contributed to the slight but essential upgrade to the nation's grid, including a 500 million do...


Radar

PLUMPY HUMPS

A trio of donkeys drag along the main road in front of Menlik School around the Arat Kilo area. While the four-legged domestic animal is a venerated member of the Ethiopian labour force, its skin and meat are increasingly valued in the international markets. Rhong Chang, a donkey slaughterhouse operating in Assela Town, Oromia Regional State reopened its services after a seven-year break two years ago. Public outroar has often accompanied the entrance of donkey abattoirs into Ethiopia since anot...


Radar

IMPROMPTU AISLES

A bustling market emerges under a bridge in the boroughs of the Bole Michael area. Addis Abeba City Administration has launched a series of aesthetic initiatives embalmed in themes of beautification and urbanisation that have removed thousands of shops built with makeshift tents. Above a quarter of Addis Abeba's labour force is engaged in the informal economy, which while often associated with connotations of illegality, remains a sizeable employer in emerging economies across the world. Calibra...


Back
WhatsApp
Telegram
Email