Frehiwot Tamru Appointed Ethiopia's Innovation Minister

Frehiwot Tamru, who led Ethiopia’s state-owned Ethio Telecom for more than eight years, has been appointed the country’s Minister of Innovation and Technology. The House of Peoples’ Representatives approved her appointment on October 8, 2026, as part of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s new cabinet following the start of his second five-year term.

Frehiwot succeeds Dr Belete Molla and moves from leading one of Ethiopia’s largest technology companies to overseeing the country’s broader digital transformation and innovation agenda. Her portfolio is expected to cover technology policy, research, artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure and startup ecosystem development.

Key Highlights:

• Frehiwot Tamru becomes Ethiopia’s Minister of Innovation and Technology
• She led Ethio Telecom’s digital expansion and growth in financial services
• Her new role will focus on AI, digital infrastructure, and innovation

Appointed CEO of Ethio Telecom in July 2018, Frehiwot has overseen the operator’s expansion beyond traditional telecommunications into digital financial services, cloud computing, enterprise technology and digital platforms. During her tenure, the company significantly increased its customer base and revenue while adapting to a more competitive telecom market following Safaricom Ethiopia’s entry in 2022.

Ethio Telecom reported ETB 215.8 billion in revenue for the 2025/26 financial year, representing a 33.2% year-on-year increase. Its customer base reached 90.1 million, while its mobile money platform, Telebirr, recorded 60.59 million users and processed ETB 4.19 trillion in transactions during the year.

The operator also expanded its network to 10,613 mobile sites, achieved 82.2% national 4G coverage and introduced 5G services across 33 towns. Its latest strategy, “Next Horizon: Digital & Beyond 2028”, focuses on digital finance, cloud services, enterprise technologies, AI-driven platforms, hyperscale data centres and cross-border connectivity. The company is targeting 100 million customers and ETB 295 billion in revenue for FY 2026/27.

Frehiwot’s experience also includes work with international technology companies on AI infrastructure, cloud computing and digital transformation. In July, she led discussions with Inspur Software Technology on AI computing infrastructure, enterprise solutions, technology development and local talent.

Her move to government comes as Ethiopia advances its Digital Ethiopia strategy, which seeks to use digital public infrastructure and technology to support economic development. She has also been associated with national digital initiatives, including the Digital ID programme.

Frehiwot began her career with the former Ethiopian Telecommunication Corporation and later became deputy CEO for Internal Support Service before founding Doxa IT Technology Plc. She holds an MBA from the Open University in the UK and a BSc in Information Systems.

Her appointment also strengthens the representation of women in senior government leadership. With experience spanning telecommunications, digital finance and technology infrastructure, Frehiwot now takes on a wider mandate to shape Ethiopia’s innovation and digital economy.