Frehiwot Tamiru, chief executive officer (CEO) of Ethio-Telecom, speaks during the launching ceremony of its upgraded mobile money platform TeleBirr in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, March 23, 2023. Ethiopia's state-owned Ethio-Telecom upgraded its mobile money platform TeleBirr into a SuperApp that provides users with access to multiple services via a single interface, including e-commerce, food delivery, entertainment, utility bill payments, transportation, fundraising and more. (Photo by Michael Tewelde/Xinhua)
ADDIS ABABA, March 24 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopia's state-owned Ethio-Telecom upgraded its mobile money platform TeleBirr into a SuperApp that provides users with access to multiple services via a single interface, including e-commerce, food delivery, entertainment, utility bill payments, transportation, fundraising and more.
With the mobile application software which was developed with the support of Chinese tech giant Huawei, Ethio-Telecom aims to meet the ever-growing demands of digital payment and keep unlocking the full potential of online payment, aiming at transforming Ethiopia into a digital economy.
Launched with the maxim "One App for all your needs," the platform is part of a journey of Ethiopia realizing the digital economy and moving beyond connectivity, said Frehiwot Tamiru, chief executive officer (CEO) of Ethio-Telecom while officially unveiling the advanced application software Thursday.
The SuperApp, which has a range of features in one solution, will help individual and corporate customers access a large and diversified customer base, and digital business opportunities with easy and seamless integration and increased engagement, said Tamiru.
"It will have a significant contribution in empowering government and non-government organizations, saving cost and time, enhancing productivity, creating more jobs and utilizing public resources in an efficient manner," said Tamiru.
The TeleBirr digital payment platform has been able to fast-track the development of digital payment in Ethiopia and has become instrumental in advancing Ethiopia's digital economy, according to a press release issued by Ethio-Telecom.
The Chinese-developed mobile money service solution over the last 22 months has acquired 101,000 agents, and some 28,000 merchants, integrated with 19 commercial banks and has generated 1.95 million U.S. dollars in international remittance from 44 countries, it said.
It said the new application software presents a great benefit to local startups and customers as it allows them to tap a large user base which currently stands at 30 million and help enjoy the advanced performance, security system, login and registration time.
According to Tamiru, the super application software, which has gained widespread popularity in emerging markets, consolidates various services and functionalities into a single platform and aims to create a seamless user experience.
Ethio-Telecom launched TeleBirr in May 2021. By August 2022, the company had introduced digital financial products, including micro-loans, savings and overdraft services. ■
