Safaricom telecommunications Ethiopia PLC (Safaricom Ethiopia) has rolled out a countrywide staff recruitment drive in Ethiopia as preparations for the commercial launch enter final stage.
According to Safaricom Ethiopia Managing Director Anwar Soussa, the company has commenced recruitment of Ethiopian nationals for technology, commercial and corporate functions in various capacities ranging from executive management to graduate-level opportunities.
During a media briefing in which the company introduced its 11 member leadership team at Safaricom Ethiopia’s new offices, Safaricom PLC chief executive officer Peter Ndegwa affirmed the shareholders’ commitment to investing in Ethiopia’s digital future and contributing to the achievement of the digital Ethiopia objectives.
“The Global Partnership for Ethiopia is proud to be investing in Ethiopia and thanks to the Government of Ethiopia and other key partners for their support in the initial preparations for commercial launch. Such partnerships are the building blocks of digital transformation, and I would like to thank all our partners for their support as we work towards enabling our commercial launch and contribution to digital Ethiopia as a purpose-led technology company,” said Peter Ndegwa.
The recruitment process targets 1000 people by June 2022 who will receive comprehensive digital training packages through the company’s program dubbed #1moreskill training programme.
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In addition, the company is seeking to recruit 450 graduates over the next three years into a global development programme dubbed the “Discover Graduate Management Programme”.
The graduates will undergo accelerated learning rotations across different functions in the business as well as extensive leadership coaching and mentorship programmes.
“We believe young people are the key to delivering the digital Ethiopia ambitions and with our global Discover Graduate Management Programme, we will create a pool of talent of digital innovators who will grow with the business to achieve this”, added Soussa.
The Global Partnership for Ethiopia will be investing an estimated USD 8.5bn over the next decade towards Ethiopia’s digital objectives.
In July, Ethiopia sealed the entry of Safaricom to its telecoms space by registering its new business unit, dubbed Safaricom Telecommunications Ethiopia PLC.
The new unit has a nationwide license lasting 15 years and renewable subject to the fulfilment of license obligations issued by the Ethiopian Communications Authority (ECA).
Safaricom shareholders have already given a go-ahead for the setting up and incorporation of the Safaricom Telecommunications Ethiopia PLC, the company which will begin operation in Ethiopia in January 2022.
Safaricom, directly and indirectly, holds at least a 50 percent equity stake in each of the consortium companies in the Ethiopia venture with each of the consortium parties set to become subsidiaries of Safaricom PLC.
This gives Safaricom a controlling stake in the venture ahead of its partners who include its parent company Vodacom and Ndegwa expects the new venture to mark the telecom’s next phase of growth.
On July 5, Safaricom appointed Mr. Soussa as the MD Ethiopia operations effective July 1 in a bid to cement its entry into Ethiopia.
It will officially start operations in Ethiopia (112 million population economy) next year with an expectation to expand over Ksh.935.14 billion in ten years, making it the largest Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Ethiopia’s history.
Edited by Lawrence Baraza.
