Cameroon’s state-owned telecommunications company, CAMTEL, has partnered with Ethiopia’s Ethio Telecom to drive digital transformation in the Central African country.
The two telecoms announced the new partnership in Cameroon’s capital, Yaoundé, as they presented their Master Service Agreement to Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute.
“We are here because CAMTEL and Ethio Telecom share a common vision, to digitally transform CAMTEL and also empower the Government of Cameroon through digital solutions that we have successfully deployed in Ethiopia,” Ethio Telecom Director General Frehiwot Tamru, told reporters.
The partnership aims to foster the growth of Cameroon’s digital economy, with projects that will include digitalizing the country’s public services, promoting digital financial solutions such as mobile money and expanding access to wireless networks. The two will also partner to upgrade networks to 5G and establish a sovereign government cloud.
The Ethiopian telco will work with CAMTEL to launch Blue Money, a new electronic payment service for Cameroonians.
Cameroon is not starting from scratch in digital payments and mobile money. According to a report by the regional central bank for Central African states (CEMAC), Cameroon accounted for 62% of all mobile money accounts in the six countries under the CEMAC bloc. It also represented over 75% of all the mobile money value transacted in the region.
But despite this high adoption, CAMTEL has remained away from the market, currently dominated by MTN and Orange. Blue Money will be its first attempt at penetrating the fast-growing market, which now accounts for most of the daily local and cross-border payments.
Replicating Ethiopia’s digitalization success
CAMTEL is seeking to tap into Ethio Telecom’s expertise in rolling out digitalization strategies, stated General Manager Judith Yah Sunday. By tapping a regional powerhouse, the Cameroonian telco is proving that “Africa does not need to import all its models as it can generate its own,” she added.
“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,” Sunday stated.
Ethio Telecom is Africa’s largest state-owned telco, with a turnover of over $2.8 billion this year from its 80 million users. It has played a key role in Ethiopia’s digitalization drive, including spearheading the rollout of the Fayda national digital ID. Last year, it pledged to issue at least one million digital IDs monthly.
Ethiopia remains one of Africa’s leaders in digitalization. This month, the Eastern African country adopted the Digital Ethiopia 2030 strategy, which will build on the government’s ongoing efforts to digitalize public services and boost the growth of the digital economy. The five-year roadmap is centered on the Fayda digital ID, which, at the start of the month, boasted 29 million users.
Africa outpaces global average in AI usage
Elsewhere, a new report has revealed that two in three Africans used artificial intelligence (AI) at work in the past 12 months, outpacing the global average.
The report by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) revealed that 64% of African workers employed AI in 2025; the global average is 54%. However, only 17% reported using AI daily, while the weekly average of 18% had only improved slightly from a year earlier.
AI applications on the continent are still in their early stages and are limited to analytics and basic automation. Only a fraction of workers reported using AI agents extensively for advanced automation or scheduling.
Despite mounting global anxiety over AI replacing the human workforce and causing mass layoffs, African workers say the technology has boosted their income and job security. At least three in four workers also say AI has increased their creativity, productivity and the quality of their time.
Source: PwC.“While most workers feel confident about job security, 30% of workers believe their current skills will stay relevant, as GenAI is projected to impact nearly half of roles across all levels in Africa,” PwC noted.
In order for artificial intelligence (AI) to work right within the law and thrive in the face of growing challenges, it needs to integrate an enterprise blockchain system that ensures data input quality and ownership—allowing it to keep data safe while also guaranteeing the immutability of data. Check out CoinGeek’s coverage on this emerging tech to learn more why Enterprise blockchain will be the backbone of AI.
Watch: Boosting financial inclusion in Africa with BSV blockchain
Source: https://coingeek.com/cameroon-ethiopia-join-hands-for-digital-transformation/
