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Ethio Telecom has officially announced the launch of a trading system on the Ethiopian Securities Exchange (ESX), enabling shareholders to easily transfer, sell, and buy shares. This follows the completion of its transition phases from a state-owned enterprise to a share company and the public offering of a 10% share to citizens.
Operating in the country’s communication sector for over 130 years under exclusive government ownership, Ethio Telecom has become the first state-owned enterprise to be officially listed on the ESX by partially opening its ownership to the public.
The launch of this historic trading system is expected to usher Ethiopia’s capital market ecosystem into a new era. It was noted that the company spent nearly 11 months undertaking extensive preparatory work in alignment with the commercial code and directives issued by the Ethiopian Capital Market Authority (ECMA).
Ethio Telecom CEO Frehiwot Tamiru explained that during this process, the data of 96% of the registered subscribers—representing 45,000 shareholders—was fully verified and approved. Consequently, their digital ownership verification and dematerialization process have been successfully completed.
She further clarified that the shareholders who passed this verification process hold approximately 10.1 million shares, valued at over 3 billion Birr. These shareholders will now be able to participate directly in the trading platform launched on 26 may 2026.
Hana Tehelku, The Director General of the Ethiopian Capital Market Authority noted that today’s achievement is the result of regulatory and disciplinary frameworks implemented to establish institutional transparency within the country’s financial system and to enhance the depth and breadth of the capital market moving forward.
Meanwhile, CEO Frehiwot Tamiru pointed out that although the data clearing and verification process took considerable time, 3.4% of the registered applicants could not transition to the final stage.
She stated that this was because 1,646 potential investors failed to attach and submit their National ID (Fayda) numbers, while 248 others were identified as non-Ethiopian nationals.
It was explained that these individuals could not be accommodated due to the government’s initial-phase decision, which stipulates that the shares be sold exclusively to Ethiopian citizens. The company announced that it will fully refund the share purchase funds, along with the associated service payments, to those who cannot fulfill the documentation requirements as well as to the non-Ethiopian applicants.
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