U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) Commander General Dagvin Anderson has issued a stark warning regarding an increasingly complex and interconnected matrix of security threats confronting African nations, highlighted by a staggering sixfold increase in narcotics trafficking relative to previous years.

Addressing military and diplomatic leaders at the African Logistics Communications Symposium (ALCS) in Addis Ababa, General Anderson emphasized that addressing these multi-faceted threats requires deep international cooperation, robust communication methods, and reliable supply chains capable of swiftly moving equipment and personnel to where they are needed.

The AFRICOM chief stated that foundational investments in logistics and sustainment are critical for modern military readiness, pointing out that advanced weaponry and modern technology are utterly worthless if armed forces cannot properly maintain and supply them on the battlefield. He noted that the era of digital warfare—characterized by drones, satellites, and digital communications—requires military leaders to adapt quickly, embrace technological experimentation, and work closely with commercial entities.

He expressed that by strengthening their logistics infrastructure and deploying interoperable communication systems, African nations can build the self-reliance necessary to defend their people, secure their borders, and ensure long-term regional stability.

Echoing these operational priorities, U.S. Ambassador to Ethiopia Ervin J. Massinga emphasized that genuine strategic partnerships are validated by practical capabilities during moments of crisis rather than diplomatic rhetoric.

According to Massinga the partnership is built on a secure foundation, transparency, and careful work aligned with shared priorities, noting that when logistics fail, operations stall, when communication breaks down, coordination collapses, and when these gaps occur, adversaries exploit them. Reaffirming Washington’s commitment to bilateral collaboration, Ambassador Massinga stressed the U.S. dedication to working as an equal partner alongside nations across the African continent.

​In a concerted effort to bridge the traditional divide between defense readiness and economic development, the symposium convened representatives from the U.S. Department of Commerce alongside 26 U.S. private sector firms. These commercial industry partners demonstrated advanced innovations in logistics engineering, supply chain management, and secure communications designed to fortify African-led security solutions.

Ethiopia Electric Utility (EEU) has announced an ambitious 25-year electricity distribution master plan requiring an estimated USD 30.6 billion in investment to meet surging national power demand and expand grid infrastructure.

According to the utility, electricity demand in Ethiopia is projected to increase nearly ninefold over the next quarter century, rising from the current capacity of approximately 4,300 MW to about 39,000 MW.

The master plan outlines a phased approach, beginning with a short-term investment program focused on upgrading and expanding distribution infrastructure. EEU plans to construct 16,500 kilometers of new medium-voltage lines and rehabilitate 9,700 kilometers of existing lines. The utility will also undertake 21,800 distribution transformer interventions and install additional transformer capacity totaling 6,945 MVA.

The initial phase of the plan is expected to cost USD 1.3 billion.

Investment priorities vary by region, with Addis Ababa projected to require USD 575 million during the short-term phase, while Oromia is expected to receive USD 478 million.

EEU said the long-term plan aims to enhance the reliability of the electricity distribution network, reduce system losses, and ensure the grid can accommodate the country’s rapid economic growth and rising demand for power.

Ethiopia’s digital finance industry has entered a new phase with the formal launch of the Ethiopian Digital Financial Service Providers Association, a professional trade body backed by the European Union and the United Nations Capital Development Fund.

The association, which began as an informal working group in 2022, has now been legally registered and accredited to represent 18 founding institutional members across the country’s growing digital finance ecosystem. Its members include commercial banks, payment switches, aggregators, payment gateways, microfinance institutions and mobile money operators.

Yoseph Kibret, chairperson of the association, said the new body will help strengthen coordination among industry players, provide a unified voice in policy discussions and support capacity building for members. He said the group’s main goal is to deepen collaboration, promote innovation and advance financial inclusion.

The association’s formal launch comes after years of support under the Digital Financial Services for Resilience programme, known as DFS4Resilience, which is being implemented by UNCDF with backing from the EU and the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States. The four-year initiative is designed to expand access to digital finance for women, youth and entrepreneurs in 11 developing countries.

According to the programme, Ethiopia has received about 1.6 million dollars in support and technical assistance. The intervention has helped register more than 320,000 customers and 12,000 mobile money agents, trained 23,000 micro, small and medium enterprises, and delivered digital financial literacy training to more than 40,000 people.

Speaking at the launch, the European Union’s representative in Ethiopia said digitalization is one of the EU’s five main Global Gateway investment priorities. The EU said it is proud to support the programme as part of efforts to strengthen resilience through digital financial services.

The launch comes at a time when Ethiopia’s digital finance market is expanding rapidly. The country has moved from a largely cash-based environment to one with nearly 50 million active mobile money accounts, driven by reforms in the financial sector and broader mobile penetration.

By June 2025, cumulative digital transactions had reached 18.6 trillion birr, nearly double the previous year’s figure. Telebirr, launched by Ethio telecom in 2021, has played a central role in that growth, with 60.6 million users and 4.19 trillion birr in transactions during the 2025/26 fiscal year.

The wider ecosystem now includes more than 25 non-bank providers, among them Safaricom’s M-Pesa and local fintech firms such as Kacha, Arifpay and Chapa. Financial inclusion indicators have also improved, with adult account ownership rising from 35 percent in 2017 to 49 percent in 2025.

The association is led by a board that includes representatives from Premier Switch Solutions, Chapa Financial Technologies, Dashen Bank, ETIT and Kacha Digital Financial Services. Officials said 33 more organizations have already applied for membership, signaling growing interest in the new industry platform.

Ethio telecom says it is in ongoing discussions with Netflix over the business model and market challenges that continue to limit the full rollout of the streaming service in Ethiopia.

The state-owned operator said Netflix already has cache servers hosted locally on its network, but that this technical arrangement has not yet translated into a full commercial service for Ethiopian users. Ethio telecom Chief Executive Officer Frehiwot Tamiru said the two sides are still working through the conditions needed for wider service delivery.

Speaking during the company’s 2025/26 fiscal year performance report, Frehiwot said it took years of negotiation to bring Netflix’s servers into Ethiopia. She said the process was difficult because of weak historical infrastructure and because Netflix initially doubted there were enough users in the country to justify the investment.

Ethio telecom said the local caching system is part of Netflix’s Open Connect network, which places servers inside internet service provider facilities to store popular content closer to users. The setup reduces buffering and improves streaming quality, but it does not solve the broader commercial and payment issues that remain.

Frehiwot said the main obstacle is Netflix’s current business model, which she said does not yet support full service provision in Ethiopia. The company did not provide details on the exact nature of the commercial barriers, but said discussions are continuing.

The challenge reflects wider difficulties faced by global streaming platforms across Africa, where limited broadband access, high data prices and payment system constraints often slow market entry. In several countries, streaming companies have had to rely on bundle partnerships or telecom-led distribution models to reach customers more effectively.

Ethio telecom said it has continued investing heavily in network expansion to support Ethiopia’s growing digital demand. The company reported that its total international internet gateway capacity has reached 4.3 terabits per second, supported by upgrades in transmission and content delivery infrastructure.

Frehiwot said local content delivery network capacity increased by 820 gigabits per second through five CDN partners, reaching 2,062 gigabits per second. International gateway capacity also rose by 750 gigabits per second to 2,040 gigabits per second. According to the company, these investments are aimed at reducing latency, improving resilience and supporting rising internet traffic nationwide.

Ethio telecom also reported strong financial and operational performance for the fiscal year. The company said it achieved 99.7 percent of its annual plan and generated total revenue of 215.8 billion birr.

Its customer base grew by 8.3 percent to 90.12 million, while active mobile subscribers reached 72.09 million. Mobile data and internet users climbed to 51.53 million, and fixed broadband subscribers reached 1 million.

During the year, the company built 603 new mobile stations, bringing the total to 10,613. It said 4G population coverage reached 82.23 percent and 5G service became available in 33 cities.

Ethio telecom added 793 kilometers of backbone fiber, expanding its total network to 23,442.1 kilometers, and connected 841 mobile stations with fiber. The company also said it created 5 megawatts of operational capacity across six Tier III data centers in Addis Ababa and regional cities.