Safaricom Ethiopia Plc has 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. The company, led by Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Anwar Soussa, launched a large-scale pilot of its network in Dire Dawa town last month. It has since expanded the pilot to the Oromia and Harari regional states. Executives of Safaricom Ethiopia plan to widen the network coverage to 25 cities across the country by April 2023. Last week, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), an arm of the World Bank Group, announced plans to acquire shares valued at 160 million dollars in Safaricom Ethiopia Plc.  The acquisition would make the IFC the third-largest shareholder in Safaricom Ethiopia, following Kenya's Safaricom and the Japanese Sumitomo Corporation. Vodacom Group and British International Investment (formerly CDC Group) also hold shares in the venture.

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