A Ethiopia is in the process of developing its own social media platform to receive global offers like WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter, according to news agency Reuters. However, an ICT and telecommunications analyst from Africa Analysis says that while a local social network may be well received, its sustainability is a matter of scale.
Reuters reported that the Ethiopian government does not intend to block international services, but rather to replace them with a local platform, and quoted Shumete Gizaw, director general of the Information Network Security Agency (INSA).
Gizaw said Ethiopia will draw on its own experience to develop the network. Statistics suggest that the country has six million Facebook users, and the projected number of social media users in the country is estimated at 48,59 million by 2025.
Dobek Pater, Director of Business Development at Africa Analysis, believes that a locally developed social network will be successful once it gains scale.
“Local media is possible in China (WeChat) due to the large population and the government's strong push in that direction. This could be possible in India and perhaps one or two other major markets, for example Indonesia or Brazil. A key issue is regarding the financing model. If people have to pay for an app like this, they will be more inclined to use free versions. Will the government fund it? It's probably not a long-term sustainable model. Will it be based on ad revenue? This usually requires economies of scale (a large audience). ”
Pater added that global apps (such as WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram) have the appeal of being used globally, without geographic limitation. With the (probably large) Ethiopian diaspora around the world, it's probably easier to communicate using one of these great apps than asking members of the diaspora to wear the Ethiopian sweater app.
"Currently, the number of smartphone usages (3G / 4G) in Ethiopia remains small and data usage limited. This is not conducive to the rapid development of economies of scale. Which leads to the question: who will fund the initial development and subsequent maintenance / upgrades? There are many smaller apps of this nature around the world, but they typically have a pay-per-user funding model (and the user base remains small). "
