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Safaricom Soars with 6.1 million Customers


Safaricom Soars with 6.1 million Customers

Safaricom Ethiopia reported significant commercial growth in the first six months of the 2025 fiscal year (April to September 2024), with notable increases in both mobile (GSM) and M-PESA services. The company’s network and services reached a population coverage of 46pc, growing from 30pc in the previous year. This expansion was supported by the addition of over 1,000 network sites, bringing the total to more than 3,000 across the country. Safaricom Ethiopia saw a surge in its customer base, reaching over 6.1 million 90-day active GSM subscribers, representing a 47.3pc increase from September 2023. Data usage also showed growth, with an average of 6.6GB per month per mobile data user. M-PESA, the mobile money transfer service, experienced remarkable growth, with registered customers increasing sixfold to 8.3 million, leading to a total transaction value of 6.4 billion birr. The company stated plans to launch an affordable smartphone financing scheme.

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Customs Commission Puts Government Transactions on Mesob

Public institutions must now process customs-related transactions through Mesob, a new electronic platform introduced to reduce manual procedures in government trade operations. The Customs Commission has directed the institutions to use the platform for customs clearance, transit processing, import and export procedures, transaction verification, and related services. Mesob became operational for public institutions on July 20, 2026, for customs services. Institutions must complete intern...


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Addis Grants Extra Month for Residential Lease Renewals

Lessors and tenants in Addis Abeba have an extra month to renew residential lease agreements after the City Administration extended the registration deadline from August 6 to September 5, 2026. The Addis Abeba Housing Development & Administration Bureauattributed the extension to public requests for more time. Officials said it would ease congestion at registration centres and allow residents to complete the process more conveniently. The renewal exercise began in early July, following...


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Government Procurement Goes Digital with 597b Br Turnover

More than 597 billion Br in government purchases passed through Ethiopia's electronic procurement platform during the 2025-2026 fiscal year, widening the use of digital systems in public finance. The platform was used by 172 federal institutions and 196 affiliated entities during the year. More than 135,000 suppliers were registered to provide goods and services through the system, which is intended to improve transparency, accountability and efficiency in public procurement. The governmen...