While it’s been a holiday season in many parts of the world, it’s been a busy week for Safaricom Ethiopia – at least in terms of significant announcements involving M-Pesa services and coverage growth.
In the past few days Safaricom M-Pesa (the digital financial services side of the business) has entered a new strategic partnership with Nyala Insurance, one of the leading private insurance companies in Ethiopia, to integrate Nyala Insurance into the M-Pesa ecosystem. This, we are told, will allow the company to offer its customers secure, efficient and seamless mobile payment options for insurance services.
Through this partnership, Safaricom says, Nyala Insurance customers will now have the ability to make premium payments, policy renewals and other insurance-related transactions directly via M-Pesa.
As part of the agreement, Safaricom M-Pesa will provide Nyala Insurance with access to the M-Pesa platform, enabling it to accept mobile payments in real time. This will allow Nyala Insurance to reach a wider customer base, streamline its payment processes and offer greater flexibility to its clients.
As well as expanding access to digital financial services across Ethiopia, Safaricom Ethiopia has been able to announce the launch of its network in Assosa, a city in northwestern Ethiopia. In fact in recent weeks Safaricom Ethiopia has introduced its services in several major cities in Western Ethiopia, including Nekemte, Gambella, Metu, and Bedele.
Safaricom says that its fast 4G network in these cities in Western Ethiopia delivers seamless connectivity in the cities and their surrounding areas, including the airports. The company has also opened distributor shops in these cities to offer Safaricom’s products and services, on top of providing operational support for customers.
The expansion, it adds, has created a total of over 600 jobs in these cities, further contributing to local economic development.
Network coverage now reaches half of the Ethiopian population across central, northern, southern, eastern and western areas.
