Ethiopia’s Electricity Utility Claims Africa’s Biggest Customer Surge, World’s Third-Largest

Ethiopia’s Electricity Utility Claims Africa’s Biggest Customer Surge, World’s Third-Largest

August 8, 2026
By Mintesinot Nigussie

Ethiopian Electric Utility added 664,505 new customers in the 2025/26 financial year, which its chief executive said was the largest increase recorded by an electricity utility in Africa during the period, as the state-owned provider also reported a sharp rise in revenue. Engineer Getu Geremew, the utility’s chief executive, said on Thursday that the number of new customers placed Ethiopia first in Africa and third globally, behind only China and India.

The expansion helped drive revenue to 118.91 billion birr, an 88.4 percent increase from the previous year and above the utility’s 115.86 billion birr target. Revenue from new connections reached 39.23 billion birr, 121 percent higher than in 2024/25 and above a target of 37.74 billion birr. The increase reflected the sharp rise in new household and business connections.

Energy sales generated 76.53 billion birr, compared with a target of 75.17 billion birr, representing a 74.3 percent increase from the previous year. The utility also collected 13.4 million US dollars from seven high-power industrial customers. The increase in customers came as the utility expanded electricity infrastructure, extended distribution lines and installed meters across the country, according to Getu. It also prioritised connecting underserved areas, including rural and off-grid communities.

The utility covered the cost of meter installation in some off-grid areas as part of efforts to improve access for customers who might otherwise struggle to afford connection costs. The utility also generated 472.8 million birr from selling scrap from non-functional assets, almost twice its 275 million birr target, representing 172 percent performance against the plan. The expansion comes as Ethiopia seeks to increase electricity access while dealing with a large infrastructure deficit. Extending the grid to rural areas remains more difficult and costly than serving densely populated urban centres, making off-grid and decentralised solutions an important part of the country’s electrification efforts. The utility said it is working towards a 2035 vision centred on reliable and uninterrupted electricity, customer-focused services, safety and wider access across communities.

Source: FSX Business News