by Robert Van Breukelen, PDG d’Itemate Solutions
The telecommunications sector is poised to play a leading role in Ethiopia’s economic and digital transformation. However, to boost its development, it is necessary to rely on the expertise of countries that have already proven themselves to avoid certain dysfunctions.
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, May 3, 2024 -/African Media Agency (AMA)/- Countries located in the East and North-East Africa region have taken major initiatives, aimed at accelerating the adoption digital technologies in recent years.
Digital transformation in East Africa
Powered by the immense success of the telecommunications sector, countries like Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and the DRC are making giant strides to be active leading players in the continent’s digital economy through strategies national digital and e-commerce platforms, as well as the meteoric success of MPESA, where applicable.
It turns out that in the north, the Horn of Africa is the scene of an incredible transformation.
Ethiopia on the rise
With economic growth of 7.2% last year, Ethiopia, aspiring to become a middle-income country by 2025, initiated its digital transformation strategy in 2020. The objective is to use the technology to promote strong citizen involvement and thus improve the quality of life of its 128 million inhabitants.
Only 35% of the Ethiopian population – or around 36 million people – have access to the Internet. The telecommunications sector is on the verge of a real boom. With the success of the incumbent operator Ethiotel and the entry of Safaricom into the Ethiopian market, this sector can play a crucial role in improving digital inclusion across the country and accelerate its transformation.
Address recurring challenges linked to the growth of telecommunications operators
However, several challenges remain. To realize the full potential of digital transformation, Ethiopia must prioritize several key elements, including improving internet access in rural areas and expanding use cases, according to the World Economic Forum. of mobile telephony to meet the needs of a diverse population.
From 5G-enabled metropolises such as Addis Ababa to sparsely populated rural areas, the entire country requires an adaptable strategy from telecom operators to meet the needs of all citizens. In this context, operators must be able to personalize their services by collecting and using reliable customer-related data.
Take the example of Tanzania. Although the country has a better performing telecommunications market than Ethiopia’s, many citizens still prefer to use physical scratch cards to top up their airtime, rather than the more convenient digital tokens prevalent in other markets . In this country, the telecommunications sector works closely with its network of resellers to monitor the sales and distribution of scratch cards, ensuring that the needs of citizens are met.
Ethiopia can easily integrate new services such as Mobile Money, money transfers, mobile payments, and more if it adopts the latest POS solutions in service centers and overall from the reseller network of a telecommunications company.
Itemate, for example, has worked closely with telecommunications operators across Africa to better understand the unique customer needs and regulatory requirements of each market. These nuances are then tailored to the outlets used by telecom operators to ensure the entire industry aligns with government policy and direction.
This can take the form of number management – ensuring mobile phone numbers are correctly provisioned and recycled – as well as SIM registration which integrates with government systems. Citizens applying for a mobile phone contract are typically required to provide personal information to satisfy the country’s know-your-customer (KYC) requirements. By leveraging the expertise of partners like Itemate, the Ethiopian telecommunications sector can quickly build the capabilities that will enable it to comply with government KYC regulations, while providing a positive customer experience. his clients.
Distributed African Media Agency (AMA) for Itemate Solutions.
For more information regarding Itemate Solutions, please visit www.itemate.com
About Itemate Solutions
Itemate Solutions is a leading provider of customized digital solutions and software platforms, serving clients in ten countries across Africa and the Middle East for over 18 years. Having already helped solve business problems for telecommunications operators such as MTN across the African continent, our company’s mission is to provide reliable and cutting-edge digital solutions that enable our customers to grow their customers profitably while creating sustainable business value.
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Source : African Media Agency (AMA)
2024-05-03 15:35:44
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