ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — In a major step toward Ethiopia’s digital financial transformation, Kenya s Safaricom has launched a new mobile-based payment service allowing motorists to pay for fuel directly from their phones.
The service debuted Wednesday at the Bole Total Station in Addis Ababa, with plans to expand to over 2,000 stations nationwide.
The new “Pay for Fuel with M-PESA” feature enables both individual drivers and commercial operators to complete fuel transactions via mobile money—eliminating the need for cash and reducing wait times.
Users can initiate payments by dialing *733#, entering the fuel amount, and confirming via USSD. Station attendants are equipped with a digital dashboard that logs transactions, verifies user PINs, and offers detailed shift reports.
“This is more than a technological upgrade—it’s about returning time, peace of mind, and flexibility to Ethiopian drivers,” said Elsa Muzzolini, CEO of M-PESA.
“We are grateful to the Ministry of Transport and Logistics for fostering an innovation-friendly regulatory space that allows services like this to thrive.”
The service is part of a larger push by Safaricom Ethiopia to replicate its Kenyan success with mobile payments in one of Africa’s most promising digital frontiers.
With Ethiopia’s telecom sector now open to competition, the move could redefine how everyday payments are made—starting with fuel.
