Safaricom Ethiopia Surpasses 12 Million Users as M-PESA Adoption Grows

Safaricom Telecommunications Ethiopia  has released its third-quarter financial and operational update for the period ending 31 December 2025, reporting strong customer growth, rising service revenues, and accelerating adoption of digital and financial services as the operator deepens its footprint in the Ethiopian market.

The company closed the quarter with 12.2 million three-month active customers, representing a 71.7 percent year-on-year increase. One-month active customers reached 9.6 million, reflecting continued momentum across voice, data, and mobile money services, supported by ongoing network expansion and improved customer experience.

“Safaricom Ethiopia’s 4G network now covers 57.1 percent of the population, with 3,483 active sites nationwide. Mobile data usage continued to rise, with three-month active data customers reaching 9.8 million and average data consumption per user increasing to 6.8GB during the quarter. Our vision in Ethiopia is to build a digitally connected and financially inclusive society by expanding nationwide 4G coverage, strengthening fixed broadband, and deepening digital payments through M-PESA. This strategy focuses on enabling broader participation in the digital economy by addressing connectivity and financial inclusion gaps. Safaricom Ethiopia intends to leverage Ethiopia’s youthful population, increasingly digital population through innovation, partnerships, smartphone growth, and sustainable financing. The Safaricom Ethiopia Foundation complements this by supporting inclusive development in education, health, agriculture, economic empowerment, and disaster response to ensure connectivity translates into social impact. ”

– Dr. Peter Ndegwa, Group Chief Executive Officer, Safaricom Plc 

On the financial side, the Ethiopian operation delivered service revenue of KES 9.68 billion in Q3 FY26, marking a 54.2 percent year-on-year increase. Mobile data remained the largest contributor, accounting for 67 percent of service revenue, while voice revenue recorded the fastest growth, rising 144.7 percent year-on-year to KES 2.13 billion as customer engagement and minutes of use increased.

Average revenue per user (ARPU) rose on a constant currency basis, with overall ARPU increasing by 21.3 percent year-on-year to ETB 142.77. Voice ARPU saw particularly strong gains, reflecting increased usage and improving monetisation as the customer base matures.

M-PESA Ethiopia recorded one of the strongest growth trajectories within the business. Three-month active M-PESA customers reached 5.2 million in Q3 FY26, representing a 258.5 percent year-on-year increase. Transaction volumes surged by 191.8 percent to 364.3 million, while transaction values more than doubled to ETB 20.37 billion.

The rapid growth followed the platform’s integration with EthSwitch in October 2025, enabling full interoperability with Ethiopia’s national payments ecosystem. Through the integration, M-PESA users can transfer funds between wallets and bank accounts and make merchant payments using EthQR codes, significantly expanding everyday use cases and improving financial inclusion.

Beyond commercial performance, Safaricom Ethiopia was awarded first place at the Ethiopian Quality Award, following an evaluation of 65 institutions across leadership, service quality, and operational excellence. The recognition was presented to the company’s CEO, Wim Vanhelleputte, by Ethiopia’s President, Taye Atske Selassie, and reflects Safaricom Ethiopia’s compliance with national quality standards.

Commenting on the results, the company reaffirmed its long-term commitment to Ethiopia’s digital transformation, with a strategy centred on expanding nationwide 4G coverage, strengthening broadband access, and scaling inclusive digital financial services through M-PESA. Safaricom Ethiopia said it will continue to invest sustainably while working with regulators and partners to ensure broader participation in the digital economy.