Ethio Telecom to boost Cameroon’s digital connectivity, inclusion drive

Cameroon, through its government-owned telecommunications company (CAMTEL), is leaning on the experience of Ethiopia’s Ethio Telecom to strengthen its efforts toward national digital transformation.

Both telecoms firms have entered into a partnership deal in this regard, and the highpoints of the Master Service Agreement were presented to Cameroon’s Prime Minister Dr Joseph Dion Ngute Thursday December 4 in Yaounde.

The General Manager of CAMTEL, Judith Yah Sunday epse Achidi, and the Director General of Ethio Telecom, Frehiwot Tamru, had a discussion with the PM to explain the core points of the collaboration.

CAMTEL is banking on the several years of experience of Ethio Telecom which is the biggest government-owned telecoms company on the continent, with a turnover of around $2.8 billion during the 2024/2025 fiscal year.

With more than 80 million subscribers, the company plays a major role in Ethiopia’s digital transformation, including its support for digital ID enrollment in that country.

It has also been a major partner in the implementation of the Digital Ethiopia 2025 strategy, which is now giving way to the Digital Ethiopia 2030 plan.

CAMTEL also being a major player in Cameroon’s digital transformation journey, it is hoped that the Ethio Telecom deal will prove to be a strategic collaboration that will substantially drive the country’s digital economy.

Through the partnership, CAMTEL is expected to benefit from Ethio Telecom’s expertise to expand digital connectivity in Cameroon and increase its subscriber base, modernize infrastructure, support its mobile money efforts to drive financial inclusion in Cameroon, plus capacity building.

“We are here because CAMTEL and Ethio Telecom share a common vision, to digitally transform CAMTEL and also empower the Government of Cameroon through digital solutions that we have successfully deployed in Ethiopia,” Tamru told reporters after the meeting with the PM.

“The strategic initiatives cover mobile money, the expansion of wireless infrastructure, and the digital transformation of both CAMTEL and Cameroon at large,” she added.

Tamru stated that going by the terms of the agreement, both telcos will be combining their experience, current capabilities, and future opportunities in order to “empower our communities, enterprises, and government, making digital services more affordable, accessible, and inclusive, while also creating more job opportunities for our people.”

Later in a statement, Ethio Telecom mentioned that the two operators “will work together to expand a digital payment system to ensure financial accessibility in Cameroon, build a national cloud to digitize government services, ensure mobile network quality and further upgrade CAMTEL operations to build a customer centric culture.”

CAMTEL’s Yah Sunday remarked: “Africa does not need to import all its models as it can generate its own. Your institution demonstrates that a public operator can transform itself, scale digital adoption, sustain financial performance, drive national innovation, foster inclusion, and to do so while remaining fully aligned with the strategic vision of the state.”

The PM expressed delight at the partnership, and underlined its significance for Cameroon’s digital transformation march. He assured both partners that they can count on the support of the government throughout the implementation process.

Apart from the meeting with the PM, the Ethio Telecom CEO and her delegation also had sperate working sessions with the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications, Minette Libom Li-Likeng, and the Minister of Labour and Social Security, Gregoire Owona.

Ethio Telecom also has a working relationship with Djibouti and has been helping the country to advance its digital transformation agenda.

Article Topics

Africa  |  Cameroon  |  CAMTEL  |  Digital Ethiopia 2025  |  digital identity  |  digital inclusion  |  Ethio Telecom  |  Ethiopia  |  telecom