The World Bank Group’s private investment arm and guarantee agency have pledged more support for the first private telecommunications operator in Ethiopia, Safaricom Ethiopia.
In September investment arm the International Finance Corp (IFC) said it planned to inject up to US$160-million in equity, but in a statement dated 8 June, the World Bank Group said that IFC’s equity investment would be $157-million and that it would also provide a $100-million loan.
The Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency will provide 10-year guarantees of $1-billion to cover the equity investments of Safaricom Ethiopia’s shareholders: Vodafone Group, Vodacom Group, Safaricom and British International Investment.
“The investment and guarantees will help Safaricom Ethiopia roll out and operate 4G and 5G mobile networks across the country – including in rural and urban areas,” the statement said.
Read: Ethiopia to further liberalise its telecoms sector
Safaricom Ethiopia launched its mobile network in October after winning an operating licence in May 2021.
Previously state-owned Ethio Telecom had a monopoly in Africa’s second most populous country with a population of about 120 million people. — (c) 2023 Reuters