Vodacom expresses interest as Ethiopia opens telecoms monopoly and airline
The privatisation and the peace plans are signs that Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is serious about reforms
Vodacom Group says it is interested in the Ethiopian telecoms market. "Vodacom has said on many occasions that Ethiopia is an attractive market so it follows that there would be interest," Vodacom said in response to questions on Wednesday, a day after the Ethiopia opened its state-run telecoms monopoly. "Naturally this is dependent on what might become available and if it fits within our investment parameters," Vodacom’s spokesman said. Ethiopia said on Tuesday it would open its state-run telecoms monopoly and state-owned Ethiopian Airlines to private domestic and foreign investment, a major policy shift that will loosen the state’s grip on the economy. The East African nation of 100-million people has one of the most closed and controlled economies in Africa.
The ruling EPRDF coalition, in power since 1991, has long supported deep state involvement in the economy. But the EPRDF said on Tuesday that Ethiopia needed economic reforms to sustain rapid growth and boost its export...
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