Shega Monthly Brief

It has been eventful in Ethiopia lately to a level it is really hard to keep up. The technology and related arena were not different. We picked out major news which we and other media reported here in our Shega Monthly brief for January 2019.

Ethiopia To Establish Telecoms Regulator Before it Liberalizes the Sector

Ethiopia’s council of ministers has approved a draft law to establish a telecoms regulatory authority. This follows the government’s decision to liberalize the telecoms sector, according to the Office of the Prime Minister. The new Ethiopian Communications Regulatory Authority will be in charge of regulating competition among different operators.

Ibex Frontier released the 2018 tech & startup funding Report for Ethiopia

The total disclosed funding in 2018 according to a report from by Ibex Frontier was $13M USD. Fintech took the biggest share of the funding with 76% while off-grid energy (12%) and Agri-tech (9%) followed 2nd and 3rd in attracting funding. Download the report here.

New additional startup incubator joining the ecosystem

Antler, a Singapore based talent incubator and startup generator, is coming to Addis and Nairobi as they expand to East Africa. More can be found here.

Belcash to Launch Two E-commerce Platforms

Belcash the company behind (Hello cash) is about to launch two e-commerce platforms, Hellomarket which will be a platform for locals, payment through electronic banking services, and delivery to be handled by DHL. For buyers from abroad, Helloshop will allow domestic products to be ordered through the platform and the payment to be processed through Mastercard Payment Gateway Services. Belcash also recently integrated Hellocash to Kikuu, making Kikuu the first online payment integrated e-commerce service in Ethiopia! For more read here.

ZayRide Secured Undisclosed Second round funding

Zaytech, the parent company of the on-demand taxi service provider ZayRide, has completed a funding round from local and international investors for the startup’s market projects and product development. The amount is undisclosed but it is noted in the press release as significant. Zayride previously raised $200K in 2017. Read the press release here.

Ethio Telecom and Ethiopian airlines begin phone call service and WiFi services on flights.

Ethio Telecom agreed with Ethiopian Airlines to start air connectivity for local and international flights. The service is going to avail traveler’s need for WiFi. “We have told the airline that we are ready to provide the service and now we are contacting global companies which are going to provide us access to the satellite,” added Said Aragaw Chief International Business Officer. More can found here.