Wildberries, the international e-commerce giant, has entered Ethiopia by opening its platform to local sellers. Its broader strategy focuses on adapting its global model to the local market. It has confirmed it is working closely with local partners to enable smoother last-mile delivery and payment integration, including enabling transactions in Birr.
The company noted that it has successfully expanded to 11 countries so far, recently selecting Ethiopia as its strategic “gateway” for entry into the African continent.
Biruk Genene, the first Ethiopian Country Manager of Wildberries, told Capital that the company prioritizes local currency for payments to help domestic entrepreneurs minimize losses caused by exchange rate fluctuations and conversion costs.
The executive explained that the decision to enter Ethiopia was driven by the country’s unique macroeconomic conditions and the government’s robust digital transformation agenda.
“We chose Ethiopia because we see its strong potential for e-commerce development,” Biruk stated, noting that the country serves as the political capital of East Africa and a logistics hub for the rest of the continent.
He added that this launch aligns directly with the Digital Ethiopia 2030 vision, which seeks to modernize the economy through technology.
Wildberries and Ethiopian Investment Holdings (EIH) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in November 2025. Following that agreement, Biruk updated Capital on the current status, stating that both parties are currently undertaking a feasibility study to evaluate the possibility of establishing a joint venture in the coming weeks.
To address “last-mile delivery”—one of the biggest challenges in the commerce sector—the company has entered into an agreement with EthioPost. This collaboration aims to streamline local delivery, enhance storage and processing capacities, and establish reliable direct operations from the seller to the customer.
A core pillar of Wildberries’ strategy in Ethiopia is the promotion of local exports. In its first phase, the platform will offer Ethiopian sellers the opportunity to present their products to an international market of over 200 million customers.
The company announced that it handles an average of 25 million orders per day. Wildberries noted that “Russian-speaking customers already know and love Ethiopian products. Organic and authentic Ethiopian products will have a strong competitive advantage, and Ethiopian sellers will be able to enjoy the platform’s strong marketing and visibility capabilities to reach millions of new customers,” indicating high demand for value-added goods such as textiles, coffee, and cosmetics.
The company has established its headquarters in Kazanchis and is actively onboarding local professionals to lead its operations.
This update follows the official announcement on Wednesday, April 15, 2026, that Wildberries—the leading digital platform in Eurasia—has opened its platform to Ethiopian sellers.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by representatives of the Ethiopian and Russian governments, over 150 local entrepreneurs, and Wildberries leadership, marking the company’s first expansion into Africa.
Wildberries is currently calling on local sellers to register on the platform to offer Ethiopian products—including coffee, textiles, leather goods, and natural cosmetics—directly to millions of customers in Russia and neighboring countries.
