There is neither vodacom nor safaricom.... but the UK company would prefer to enter Ethiopia as Vodacom and not as Safaricom.... the same way they are in Tz and other countries. Are aware that though MPESA was originally conceptualised and done from Kenya in Safaricom... it is now owned by Vodacom and has been rolled out to other countries? and safricom pays vodacom for its use? Same philosophy.... in Ethiopia ....I guess.

@Hisa, Thanks for the correction. Wherever I travel out of Kenya... I normally see vodacom and I thought this is name of the parent company in UK. What is the relationship between Vodacom and Vodafone?

Fortunately for us the deal is between Ethiopia and Kenya not UK, unless he does the same with UK before the investment is done: Visiting Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn on Thursday said his government had signed up a special status agreement with Kenya as commitment to ease trade between the two countries. http://www.standardmedia...vest-in-Ethiopia-removed However Equity will have to wait longer http://www.businessdaily.../-/12y02cpz/-/index.html

Addis Ababa is devoting $1.3 billion (Sh110 billion) annually to infrastructure, which is 10 per cent of its GDP. As a share of GDP, Ethiopia’s spending on infrastructure is by far the highest on the continent. http://www.nation.co.ke/...4/-/14i9le9/-/index.html

In a country like Kenya where foreign banks have been allowed to compete freely with local banks the local banks like KCB, Equity, NIC, CO-OP have still managed to come out on top of the likes of BBK, STANCHART, CFC mainly due to product innovation, strategic pricing, strategic placement etc The Ethiopians should actually use this as a case study to test the actual harm or good of allowing foreign banks to compete with local banks! NB:KCB, Kenya's largest bank by asset size has an asset base double the size of Ethiopia's entire banking sector.. (shs400B vs shs200B)