By: Getahun Tsegaye
Staff Reporter
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – Safaricom Ethiopia is celebrating a dual milestone: the official launch of its new foundation to broaden community service, and a significant surge in its subscriber base, now reaching 10 million active 90-day subscribers. This marks a notable jump from the 8.8 million active voice and internet users reported for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2025, which Borkena highlighted in May.
The newly registered Safaricom Ethiopia Foundation, confirmed by Ethiopia’s Agency for Civil Society Organizations (ACSO), will channel its efforts into key areas like education, health, digital inclusion, economic empowerment, and emergency response.
This formal establishment builds on Safaricom Ethiopia’s existing corporate social responsibility efforts, which have already seen over 110 million Birr invested in various initiatives, including providing laptops, internet routers, and free internet to schools, health insurance support, and aid for disaster victims. This includes a recent donation of 10 desktop computers, 2 Wi-Fi routers, and 6 months of free internet to Hayik Secondary School, valued at 550,000 Ethiopian Birr, as reported by Borkena in June.
The company has also secured 540 million Birr from international partners, currently being used to equip young people with crucial digital skills, fostering future contributions to Ethiopia’s digital economy.
The impressive subscriber growth aligns with Safaricom Ethiopia’s previously reported strong financial results. In May, the company announced a 270% increase in revenue to 7.2 billion Birr for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2025. At that time, its 4G services covered 50% of the country through 3,141 network towers, and its M-PESA service had grown to 2.4 million active customers, facilitating transactions worth 15.8 billion Ethiopian Birr. The recent update to 10 million subscribers signifies continued rapid expansion beyond these May figures, indicating a further deepening of its market penetration and reach.
Safaricom Ethiopia, the first private telecom operator to challenge Ethio Telecom’s long-standing monopoly, is backed by a global consortium including Vodafone Group, Safaricom PLC, Vodacom Group, Sumitomo Corporation, and British International Investment (BII).
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