Shameel Joosub, CEO of Vodacom Group, visited Safaricom Ethiopia last week.

Shameel Joosub, CEO of Vodacom Group, visited Safaricom Ethiopia last week to discuss several industry issues with the regulator and staff.

The telco stated that Joosub, accompanied by Safaricom Ethiopia CEO Wim Vanhelleputte, met with key Ethiopian government officials during his visit.

According to Safaricom, one of his 'most important meetings' was with Balcha Reba, director general of the Ethiopian Communications Authority, during which significant telecom sector issues were discussed.

Furthermore, Safaricom stated: “He held productive talks with Ahmed Shide, minister of finance, on recent macro-economic reforms. He also had a business review session with our leadership and shared his messages with our staff at our townhall.”

The Joosub-led Vodacom Group is part of a consortium granted permission to operate Safaricom Ethiopia by the government in 2021.

The consortium consists of Vodacom Group, Vodafone Group, Sumitomo Corporation, and CDC Group, the UK's development finance institution and impact investor.

The Vodafamily Ethiopia Holding is 61.9% (Safaricom PLC 55.71%, Vodacom Group 6.19%), Sumitomo Corporation 27.2% and CDC Group PLC 10.9%

Safaricom Ethiopia started commercial operations in October 2022, and the management believes the company has made significant growth since since then.

As of December 31, 2023, Safaricom Ethiopia had roughly 2,200 base stations serving 33 cities, including large and medium-sized towns, accounting for more than 30% of total coverage.

Furthermore, M-PESA, mobile money, now has over 3 million customers and is rapidly growing, according to the company.

Joosub commended the team in Ethiopia, writing on his LinkedIn page: "Thank you Wim Vanhelleputte and the Safaricom Ethiopia team, and also the regulator and minister of finance, for the very good discussions. Very encouraging to see the growth in Safaricom Ethiopia.”