Vodacom DRC MD Anwar Soussa was appointed to take the helm at the first private mobile operator in Ethiopia, after a consortium including Vodafone Group, Vodacom and Safaricom won a licence to operate in the country.

In a statement, Vodacom explained Soussa will be responsible for the Operating Company in Ethiopia on behalf of the Global Partnership for Ethiopia (GPE) consortium which in May beat MTN Group to secure operating rights.

Efforts of the entrant will be placed into implementing affordable mobile and internet connectivity, while ensuring quality of services.

Vodacom Group CEO Shameel Joosub expressed confidence in Soussa’s ability to build “a world class telecommunications network in Ethiopia”.

Joosub explained a top priority for the entity head will be around connecting the next 100 million Africans by 2025.

Soussa’s appointment is effective from 1 July and a successor to run Vodacom’s business in the Democratic Republic of the Congo will be unveiled in the coming weeks.