Nairobi — Safaricom Telecommunication Ethiopia (STEP) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Anwar Soussa is set to leave the company next month.

Soussa's impending departure was announced by Safaricom Kenya's CEO Peter Ndegwa.

"Anwar Soussa, Chief Executive Officer of Safaricom Telecommunications Ethiopia PLC (STEP), will be leaving the business effective 31st July 2023 once his secondment comes to an end," Ndegwa said in a statement.

He first joined STEP in August 2021 to lead the establishment of the organization, set up business operations, and roll out a high-quality network.

"As the first CEO of Safaricom Ethiopia, Anwar has overseen attainment of significant milestones in a highly dynamic environment, including onboarding the team and successfully launching commercial operations of the second telecommunications operator in Ethiopia," Ndegwa added.

A Safaricom consortium last year got a license to enter the Ethiopian market after bidding Sh91.8 billion.

In October last year, STEP received a licence from the Ethiopian Government to roll out M-Pesa services in the country.

In his tenure, STEP has now boosted over 4 million customers with more than 25 percent network coverage of the population spread across 50 cities and towns.

"Under Anwar's leadership, Safaricom Ethiopia also secured a mobile financial services licence, paving the way for the launch of M-PESA services," he said.

"I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Anwar for his leadership and contributions to Safaricom Ethiopia."

"Throughout his tenure he has demonstrated unwavering passion and commitment, which have played a crucial role in our achievements thus far. We will announce Anwar's successor in due course."