Connecting Africa is part of the Informa Tech Division of Informa PLC

This site is operated by a business or businesses owned by Informa PLC and all copyright resides with them. Informa PLC's registered office is 5 Howick Place, London SW1P 1WG. Registered in England and Wales. Number 3099067.

Business of Tech

Safaricom consortium chooses leader for new Ethiopian operation

Article Image
Vodacom's MD in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Anwar Soussa, has been tapped to head up a Safaricom-led consortium's new operations in Ethiopia.

The consortium of Safaricom, Vodacom and Vodafone – known as the Global Partnership for Ethiopia (GPE) – was awarded an operating license in Ethiopia in May. It beat out rival MTN for a license to become the first international operator to be given the chance to operate in the Horn of Africa nation.

Vodacom said Soussa has taken over as MD of the operating company in Ethiopia as of July 1, 2021, and will report to the Board of the Ethiopia entity and Safaricom's CEO Peter Ndegwa.

The consortium – which also includes backing from Japan's Sumitomo Corporation and the UK's development finance institution CDC – plans to start providing telecom services in Ethiopia from 2022.

With a population of over 110 million, Ethiopia is Africa's second-most populous country and up until this point was one of the world's last telecom monopolies.

The consortium has promised to invest $8 billion in Ethiopia over the next ten years.

The consortium said in a statement that Soussa had cemented Vodacom DRC as the largest Vodacom operation outside of South Africa by driving major strides in operational performance, crossing the $500 million in service revenue mark for the first time in 2020.

Vodacom Group CEO Shameel Joosub said that the group was confident that Soussa has the right experience and expertise from his time with Vodacom DRC to build a world class telecommunications network in Ethiopia.

"Our immediate priority in Anwar's appointment is to ensure that the Vodacom Group has the strongest team in place to lead our efforts to connect the next 100 million Africans by 2025, through the delivery of reliable network coverage and transformative technology services," he said.

Soussa is also currently the chairperson of Vodacash (M-Pesa). Before joining Vodacom, Soussa also served as the CEO of Airtel in Uganda and Chad.

He is a Greek national who holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from the American College of Greece (Deree) and a master's degree in marketing from Concordia University in Montreal, Canada.

Joosub added that Soussa's successor in the DRC will be announced in due course.

Related posts:

*Top image is of Anwar Soussa, the new managing director of the Safaricom consortium in Ethiopia (Source: supplied).

— Paula Gilbert, Editor, Connecting Africa

Innovation hub

Story

Hot startup of the month: Nigeria's Tech Herfrica

Connecting Africa's hot startup is Nigeria's Tech Herfrica, a social impact organization that focuses on the digital and financial inclusion of women and girls in rural areas of Nigeria.

Story

Omdia View: February 2024

Highlights in February 2024 in the Middle East and Africa included 5G launches in Senegal and 5G trials in Egypt as well as Kenya's first 5G MVNO. Airtel also launched a new wholesale connectivity business while MTN and Huawei are planning a joint Innovation Technology Lab in South Africa – that and more in this month's Omdia View.

More Innovation hub

Latest video

More videos

Partner perspectives

All Partner Perspectives

Sponsored video

More videos

Industry announcements

More Industry announcements

Upcoming events

Africa Tech Festival 2024
November 11-14, 2024
Cape Town, South Africa
More Upcoming events

Africa Tech Perspectives

Story

Uber's Marjorie Saint-Lot on inclusion and sustainability in Africa

Uber's Country Manager for Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire, Marjorie Saint-Lot, shares how the ride-hailing company is approaching public-private partnerships, environmentally friendly initiatives and gender inclusion in Africa.

Story

The 100 most influential African leaders in 2023

A new report from Africa Tech Festival and Connecting Africa puts a spotlight on the top 100 African leaders in the telecoms and technology sector in 2023.

Story

Deep dive into East Africa's tech startup ecosystem

New survey reveals a lack of access to investors, reliance on international VCs and global recession trends as the biggest barriers for East African tech startups to access funds.

More Africa Tech perspectives

Guest Perspectives

Story

Omdia View: February 2024

By Omdia Analysts

Highlights in February 2024 in the Middle East and Africa included 5G launches in Senegal and 5G trials in Egypt as well as Kenya's first 5G MVNO. Airtel also launched a new wholesale connectivity business while MTN and Huawei are planning a joint Innovation Technology Lab in South Africa – that and more in this month's Omdia View.

Story

Omdia View: January 2024

By Omdia Analysts

Highlights in January 2024 in the Middle East and Africa included a $200 million fintech deal between MTN and Mastercard as well as 5G network trials by Telecom Egypt – that and more in this month's Omdia View.

More Guest Perspectives

Like us on Facebook

Newsletter Sign Up


Sign Up
Tag id test-002