Wim Vanhelleputte, CEO of Safaricom Ethiopia.

Wim Vanhelleputte, CEO of Safaricom Ethiopia, has declared that digital transformation is a national priority for the East African country and outlined the core elements for its implementation.

Vanhelleputte was taking part in the Accelerated Digital Transformation Summit, which is currently taking place in Addis Ababa.

The recently appointed Safaricom Ethiopia CEO gave a keynote speech on ‘Operator Perspectives on National Priorities’ during the summit's inaugural session yesterday.

In his speech, he said that digital transformation is Ethiopia's top national priority and listed critical areas that need addressing to make it possible, one of which being the deployment of digital infrastructure.

He added that while his company has been actively developing its own network, it has also supplemented this with infrastructure sharing.

Smartphone affordability is another challenge facing Ethiopia, Vanhelleputte said, adding that these devices are “the gateway to digital life”.

Vanhelleputte also noted that digital payment platforms that are not monopolistic must provide customers with different ways to experience digital services.

He added that digital payment platforms must be built on the idea of interoperability to ensure that they communicate with one another.

Another element for Vanhelleputte is open APIs, saying there should be options for anyone to plug into multiple platforms and create solutions to local problems.

In addition to openness and collaboration, he said “there are a lot of talented Ethiopians and we need to empower them to realise their innovative potential”.

Vanhelleputte’s sentiments mirror the fact that Safaricom Ethiopia is betting on the East African country's digital future for its own success.

Speaking at Safaricom's second investor day in Addis Ababa last week, Safaricom Group CEO Peter Ndegwa expressed his views on the topic.

Ndengwa gave a progress update on the company’s rollout of operations in Ethiopia.

Safaricom Ethiopia began commercial operations in October 2022. As of December 31, 2023, Safaricom Ethiopia had approximately 2,200 base stations serving 33 cities and towns, accounting for over 30% of total population coverage.

Furthermore, M-PESA currently has over three million customers and is fast expanding, according to the firm.