Safaricom Ethiopia Hits 10 Million 90-day Active Customers in Just Four Years

In a significant milestone for Ethiopia’s digital transformation, Safaricom Ethiopia has officially hit the 10 million 90-day active customer mark, just four years after launching operations in the country.

The achievement, Safaricom says, is not just a number—it reflects a deeper story of connectivity, trust, and transformation.

“Behind every SIM card is a person, a family, a business, and a future,” the company noted in a statement. “That’s what continues to drive us forward.”

Since receiving its license in 2021, Safaricom Ethiopia has made capital investments of over 300 billion Ethiopian birr (ETB) in telecommunications and digital infrastructure.

As of 2025, its 4G network covers 55% of Ethiopia’s population, with 3,141 live network sites operating across more than 150 towns and cities.

The operator currently serves:

*10 million 90-day active customers, including both voice and data users,

*7.1 million active mobile data users, each averaging 6.5GB of data per month, and

* 2.4 million M-PESA users, who transacted 15.8 billion ETB in the latest reporting period.

These figures represent a doubling of Safaricom Ethiopia’s subscriber base within the past year—an indication of Ethiopia’s growing appetite for digital services and a competitive alternative to the long-standing state monopoly, Ethio Telecom.

Safaricom Ethiopia’s CEO, Wim Vanhelleputte, has previously emphasized the company’s goal of not just providing mobile services, but creating a wide-reaching digital ecosystem.

To this end, the company has invested heavily in local talent, building a workforce of 900 employees—97% of whom are Ethiopian, and creating over 20,000 indirect jobs through its wider operations and partnerships.

Beyond business performance, the company has made a mark through its corporate social responsibility initiatives, donating more than 120 million ETB to education through school laptop donations, internet connectivity, and learning programs.

In collaboration with partners, it has also mobilized 530 million ETB to fund digital skills training for young Ethiopians, positioning itself as a key contributor to the country’s digital capacity-building.

Safaricom Ethiopia also played a critical humanitarian role, providing emergency relief support in regions affected by crises, including war and natural disasters.

In its most recent financial results for the year ending March 2025, Safaricom reported that its Ethiopia operation remains in an investment phase but is gaining momentum, with revenue from Ethiopia growing steadily and expected to break even by 2026.

Analysts have noted that Ethiopia, with a population of over 120 million and historically low digital penetration, is poised to be a key long-term growth driver for the Safaricom Group.

Despite challenges including delayed network rollouts in some western regions and regulatory hurdles in its early years, Safaricom Ethiopia’s rapid rise to 10 million active users demonstrates the powerful demand for modern, reliable mobile services in the region.

As it looks to the future, the company plans to continue expanding coverage, enhance its M-PESA offering with services like savings, loans, and merchant payments, and deepen its investment in digital literacy.

“This is more than a business milestone. It’s about building a connected Ethiopia—where more people, especially the youth, can participate in the digital economy,” the company said.