Telecom Expands Digital Services


Telecom Expands Digital Services

Ethio-telecom upgraded its Telebirr application expanding its services with the new digital-financing application. The new service features micro-credit, credit pay, and micro-saving services were revealed at the launching ceremony held at the Science Museum last week. Firehiwot Tamiru, the Chief Executive Officer, said the application will bridge financial inclusion gaps enabling customers to have easy access to services. The state-owned telecom bagged 33.8 billion Br in revenues, showing a 20pc increase compared to the previous year. The net profit has reached 8.18 billion Br in the last six months. It has 31.3 million internet users from 70 million customers, showing a growth rate of 15.1pc from last year. Telebirr has paved the way for more than 200 private and public service providers to digitise their payment systems, with subscribers increased to 30 million from its inception in May 2021, a 38.8pc share of Ethiotelecom customers. The financial service app is currently integrated with 19 commercial banks, transacting more than 165 billion Br in the last six months, through which more than 82.5 million Br was earned.


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...