By Etienne Mainimo Mengnjo
Ethio Telecom, Ethiopia’s state-owned telecommunications company, has challenged Cameroon Telecommunications (CAMTEL) to “go beyond connectivity” following the signing of a three-year Master Service Agreement (MSA) between the two public entities. The call for broader digital transformation was made on December 4 in Yaoundé during the signing ceremony.
Ethio Telecom’s Director General, Frehiwot Tamiru, who led a high-level delegation, showcased the remarkable achievements of her company over the past six years. She stressed that Ethio Telecom’s success—evidenced by growth in revenue, subscribers, and products—stemmed from a clear, holistic vision.
“In order to achieve this, CAMTEL must go beyond connectivity, and that is what is driving us,” Tamiru stated. She stressed that realizing this goal—to create “A one, Africa, prosperous, inclusive, and digitally empowered. No one left behind”—requires courage, commitment, vision, strategy, and bold steps.
According to Tamiru, both Ethio Telecom and CAMTEL have a mandate that extends past simply being operators. They must act to “go beyond connecting and enabling the government, create an inclusive, affordable, accessible for urban and rural communities.”
“Expanding infrastructure alone is not enough,” she continued. “To be relevant and to stay in the market, relevant meaning to their customers, to the nation and the government, we need to embrace digital transformation first for ourselves.”
Tamiru affirmed that Ethio Telecom is in Cameroon to share its extensive experience in digitally transforming its company and the country, noting that millions of Ethiopians now benefit from the strategic initiatives taken over the last decade.
“At the center of this transformation and the strategic alliance, we are aiming to accelerate the economic growth of Cameroon. The digital transformation is not going only to benefit Cameroon but it’s going to benefit its customers, government, the ecosystem at large,” she concluded.
CAMTEL: Partnering With A Proven Performer
For CAMTEL, General Manager Judith Yah Sunday epse Achidi welcomed the Ethio Telecom delegation, describing the MSA as the “culmination of months of profound and constructive exchanges, of transparent and ambitious discussions and of rigorous technical work.”
She highlighted a shared conviction: “Africans can no longer be satisfied with following global digital revolution. We must become architects of our own.”
In choosing Ethio Telecom, one of Africa’s largest operators, CAMTEL is “not merely entering into cooperation but aligning Cameroon with the trajectory of proven performer, strategic discipline and operational excellence,” Judith Sunday said.
She added that the agreement comes at a pivotal moment, as citizens’ digital expectations rise and as the Cameroonian government, led by President Paul Biya, has prioritized digital modernization.
Judith underscored the agreement’s pragmatic value, calling it technical, operational, and strategic. The MSA creates a structured framework for joint infrastructure planning and modernization, the mastery of mobile money operations, the strengthening of sovereign digital services, the improvement of customer experience and service quality, and the development of human capital.
“Africa does not need to import all its models as Africa can generate its own models,” Sunday asserted. “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.”
She stated the partnership is a “new bridge, a digital bridge, a bridge of expertise, a bridge of ambition, a bridge of technological solidarity,” affirming that Africa’s future will be shaped by African innovators and leaders like Frehiwot Tamiru.
The three-year strategic partnership is designed to strengthen South-South cooperation and accelerate Cameroon’s digital transformation. The collaboration focuses on four priority areas to support the country’s digital ecosystem.
These include the expansion of CAMTEL’s Blue Money electronic payment service and the digitalization of public services through the deployment of a sovereign Government Cloud. Furthermore, the partnership involves the modernization of telecommunications networks with the advancement of 4G, 5G, and other innovative technologies.
The collaboration aims to support CAMTEL’s internal transformation, covering organizational improvements, upgrades to information systems, and initiatives to strengthen customer-centric culture.
During their mission in Yaounde, the Ethio Telecom delegation participated in technical and commercial working sessions, met with government authorities, and engaged with key institutional and strategic partners to ensure a smooth implementation of the Master Service Agreement.
