Safaricom is now one of six companies vying for the chance to claim one of two Ethiopian telecoms licences. In response to this announcement, Safaricom and, its parent company, Vodacom both expressed their interest in buying a stake in Ethio Telecom. According to Bussiness Daily, the ECA has “whittled the list down from a consortium of 12 that had expressed interest in entering the country’s telecommunications market”. Kenya’s geographical proximity to Ethiopia is expected to be one reason why Safaricom could lead the consortium. “I think it will be a very good exposure to Safaricom from the perspective of geographical closeness on the one perspective, but also giving Safaricom additional exposure to more growth areas,” says Vodacom’s chief executive, Shameel Joosub.

Source: Ethiopian News February 17, 2021 13:30 UTC