The International Finance Corporation (IFC) is set to lend Safaricom Ethiopia an additional Sh46 billion ($350 million) to support its expansion of telecommunications and mobile money services in the country.
In latest disclosures, the global private sector financier has revealed plans to top up the debt ($157.4 million) and equity investment ($100 million for a 7.25 percent stake) it already injected into the telco last year.
If approved, this will bring IFC and its partners’ total financing to Safaricom Ethiopia –which is majority owned by Kenya’s Safaricom Plc– to Sh80 billion ($607.4 million).
“IFC’s further proposed loan of up to $350 million will support STEP (Safaricom Telecommunications Ethiopia Private Limited Company) with the ongoing expansion of its telecommunication network and mobile money services and enhance the competitiveness of the local telecommunications market,” the lender said in the disclosures.
The financier says it is ready to lend between $150 million and $200 million, noting that the rest of the balance will be sourced from development finance institutions and other lenders.
IFC had last year committed a total of Sh34 billion in debt and equity investments in the Ethiopian subsidiary of Safaricom, which is owned by the Global Partnerships for Ethiopia (GPE), a consortium of international investors in which Safaricom Kenya has a majority stake of 51.7 percent.
IFC said the initial investments “have had satisfactory environmental and social (E&S) performance,” based on the assessment done by the lender’s team, paving the way for the extra investment that’s now been proposed.
The multilateral lender expects that its expanded investments in the telco will further boost its ability to increase competitiveness in the mobile connectivity industry in Ethiopia, in addition to increasing access to quality phone networks in the country.
Safaricom Ethiopia is the first private-sector-led mobile operator in the country, after entering the industry in 2021 when the Addis government liberalised the telecommunications sector.
Since starting operations in the country in late 2022, the subsidiary is yet to break even, and has been weighing down its parent company’s profits for the last two financial years due to startup losses that are estimated to have peaked in the year ended March 2024.
In the review period, the Ethiopian subsidiary made a net loss of Sh42.66 billion ($323 million), weighing down the telco’s profits even as the Kenyan arm posted a 13.7 percent increase in profits to hit Sh84.7 billion.
Besides Safaricom, other shareholders of the Ethiopian business include Japanese trading company Sumitomo Corporation (25.2 percent), British International Investments (10.1 percent), and Safaricom’s parent firm Vodacom (5.75 percent).
Safaricom Ethiopia is also eyeing a potential $150 million (Sh19.6 billion) local currency-denominated debt from the Ethiopian Stock Exchange once it goes live in the third quarter of this year, highlighting the capital-intensive nature of the business.
In November 2022, when Safaricom first reported results from the Ethiopian subsidiary, the chief financial officer Dilip Pal said they estimated the subsidiary could break even from 2026.
“We don’t expect significant profit in the beginning, but over time we expect the Ethiopian subsidiary to become a big driver of this company’s profits and the future of this business,” added Peter Ndegwa, Safaricom’s CEO.
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Tanzania: Samia Hands Over NBC’s 354m/ – Crop Insurance Compensation to Farmers Affected By Hailstorms
President Samia Suluhu Hassan, has handed over a cheque of 354m/- from the National Bank of Commerce (NBC) as compensation to tobacco farmers, who were affected by hailstorms during the previous farming season in various regions across the country.
Handing over the cheque in Dodoma, the compensation is part of the crop insurance service provided by NBC in collaboration with the National Insurance Corporation (NIC).
Furthermore, President Samia has also handed over health insurance coverage to members of the Lindi Mwambao Cooperative Union based in Lindi Region, through the Farmers’ Health Insurance service provided by the bank in partnership with Assurance Insurance Company.
While visiting the bank’s pavilion at the Nanenane Agricultural Exhibition and being received and briefed by the bank’s Managing Director, Mr. Theobald Sabi, she said: “This crop insurance is one of the crucial solutions in ensuring farmers have a reliable income, without fear of challenges such as natural disasters, including hailstorms.
“I call upon all farmers in the country to make the best use of this important opportunity by accessing these kinds of insurance services. I also highly commend NBC and all the stakeholders participating in this programme.”
Elaborating further on the crop insurance service, the Minister of Agriculture, Hussein Bashe, stated that it will help to recover the loss farmers incurred, especially in various calamities beyond their control.
Citing them as floods, fires, and hailstorms, which have significantly affected the well-being of farmers and caused some to be reluctant to invest in the crucial sector, Mr Bashe added: “However, our President, this step by NBC is just the beginning, as this is the second year since they started offering this service, and the results are already visible.
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“As the government, we promise to continue supporting the wider implementation of this service, with the goal of ensuring that this crop insurance service reaches more farmers.”
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On his part, Mr Sabi said that the farmers who benefited from the compensations are from 23 primary cooperative unions in the regions of Shinyanga, Geita, Tabora, Mbeya, Katavi, and Kigoma.
He added: “In addition to these insurance services, as a bank, through this exhibition, we have continued with our programme of providing financial education and various banking opportunities to farmers, alongside offering them various loans, including loans for agricultural equipment, particularly tractors, to eligible farmers.:
At the NBC booth, President Samia also had the opportunity to be briefed on the various services offered by the bank to the farmers namely crop insurance and health insurance services.
There, the President had the chance to speak with some of the beneficiaries of the services, including the Vice-Chairman of the Lindi Mwambao Primary Cooperative Union, Mr. Hassan Mnumbe, whose union has been provided with a health insurance card from the bank.
Source: allafrica.com
