This archive report was first published on 9 November 2021.
Published on November 9, 2021, Safaricom has evacuated some of its employees from Ethiopia due to armed conflict and civil unrest, which could disrupt the firm's operations in the populous nation.
The telco, which aims to start operations in Ethiopia next year, evacuated its staff on Wednesday and Friday. The move comes as several nations, including the United States, Denmark, and Italy, have asked their citizens in Ethiopia to leave while commercial flights were still available.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government has been embroiled in a year-long war against the Tigrayan forces, which has resulted in thousands of deaths, forced over two million people from their homes, and left 400,000 people in Tigray facing famine.
"All our staff are safe. A number have been evacuated from Ethiopia on a temporary basis whilst we assess the situation," said a top official at Safaricom, who sought anonymity.
The conflict has kept investors on edge, even as it triggered a hunger crisis, leaving millions of people in need of humanitarian aid. The Safaricom consortium, which also includes British development finance agency CDC Group and Japan's Sumitomo Corporation, won the licence with a bid of $850 million and aims to start operations in Ethiopia next year.
Players like Safaricom are attracted by the growth potential in the Ethiopian market, which has a penetration rate of 46 percent, compared to Kenya's 118 percent.
