Ethiopia has much more to offer than coffee. This country is needlessly ignored in traffic experts. Moreover, the Digital Ethiopia 2025 program is actively developing there now, thanks to which the situation will improve. Stay ahead of the trends and start driving Ethiopian traffic now. And we will share the experience of the Aff1.com team on what to consider when advertising to the Ethiopian market.
The main thing you need to know about the country
Ethiopia is a large state in East Africa (the second-largest country on the continent). The first independent state in Africa.
This is the highest mountainous African country, but it has no access to the sea. Never been a colony. Actively participates in international organizations: the League of Nations, the UN, the founder of the African Union.
The population is almost 125 million people, women and men are approximately equal.
The average age of Ethiopians is 19 years. The average life expectancy is 69 years.
- Capital: Addis Ababa. Other largest cities: Dire-Dawa, Bahr-Dar, Gondar, Awasa, Mekele.
- Official language: Amharic.
- Currency: Ethiopian birr (ETB), equal to approximately 0.018 USD (in May 2023).
- Religion: The only traditionally Christian African country.
- Average income: 378,406 ETB/month (584 USD/month).
- Internet domain .et
- Time zones: UTC +3
- Tier 3
21 million people in Ethiopia use the Internet. The average mobile Internet speed is 20 Mbps, and the fixed Internet connection is 6 Mbps. Keep these limits in mind when designing your creatives.
Please note that not only Google, but also Bing is used in Ethiopia. About advertising through this search engine, we have a special article with useful practical tips.
There are about 6.5 million registered social media accounts in Ethiopia (but this number is not equal to the number of unique users). Only 34% of social media users in Ethiopia are women, while 66% are men.
The most profitable social networks in descending order of popularity:
- YouTube
There are few iPhones in Ethiopia, so set up mobile traffic mainly on Android:
Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, is expected to have 5G mobile internet in the next two to three years.
Please note
Ethiopia is a typical Tier-3 country, which means there are many users who are just starting to learn the Internet. They are not spoiled, open to advertising, and willing to shop.
The average salary in the capital is $100-300 per month, which is low enough to live in pleasure. Yes, this is not the most solvent audience, but knowing this, you can take into account. Suitable offers will bring profit in their quantity. Cheap traffic is the main advantage of Ethiopia.
It is believed that mankind originated in this territory. Ethiopia is mentioned in both the Bible and the Koran.
It is useful in creating ads
Coffee is the pride of Ethiopia. The country has developed entire rituals, like Chinese tea ceremonies, from roasting beans to drinking. Use the loyalty of Ethiopians to coffee when choosing an offer. For example, Classic Collagen Coffee (coffee for weight loss), etc.
Ethiopia is known in the international sports arena for its middle and long-distance runners. At the Olympic Games, Ethiopian athletes brought prizes and medals, in total they have more than 20 gold medals. You can use this as a cliffhanger theme in an ad.
Regardless of progress, internet access and religious beliefs, traditional beliefs and practices exist among a number of Ethiopian tribes. For example, mings, when children with alleged and true physical disabilities are considered ritually unclean and subject to death.
There are a lot of pressing problems (“pains”), the solution of which is critical for the people of Ethiopia. Therefore, almost any offer can be successfully promoted in Ethiopia (subject to competitive conditions and good creatives).
What offers are the most profitable in Ethiopia?
Startups from the USA, EU countries, India, Arab countries and China have already turned their attention to the Ethiopian market. There are also prospects for arbitrageurs here, because the main needs of Ethiopia are related, among other things, to medicine, digital technologies, and household processes.
Nutra. Cosmetics and dietary supplements in poor countries are even more in demand than in rich ones.
Problems with wrinkles, excess weight, and potency affect the poor and the rich, women and men equally.
More than 80% of the Ethiopian population is employed in agriculture, and the average size of the land allotment does not exceed two hectares. They will need all the related products — from garden tools to chemicals.
In Ethiopia, they believe in the evil eye. For example, outsiders are not allowed to see the baby and the mother for the first few days. A week later they go for a walk. The head of the family walks ahead with a stick in his hands, thus driving away evil spirits. Protective amulets are great offers for such superstitious people.
There is a severe shortage of highly educated citizens in this country. The quality of education in the state is average, there are not enough teachers. This is especially important because Ethiopia ranks fifteenth in the world in terms of the number of people aged 18 years. Offer them educational courses.
In Ethiopia, the rainy season runs from June to September, so landslides often come down at this time. If you find suitable offers, don’t miss out, because the problem is relevant for locals.
All basic consumer segments are in demand in Ethiopia: quality food, retail, dry cleaning, affordable and high-quality household goods and much, much more from the White Hat and Nutra niches.
Ethiopia Ad Creative Tips
A pregnant woman has a special position in society. She should not be denied requests and desires, she should be surrounded only by beautiful things and people. Use these ideas in your sales content.
Ethiopian girls are usually very bright and beautiful. Height and build are very different. There are tall ones, there are short ones, there are slender ones, there are plump ones. In 2013, an Ethiopian girl won the Miss Israel pageant.
Many beautiful girls become models. For example, Israela Avtau was recognized as the most beautiful Ethiopian Jewess and made a successful modeling career in Western countries.
Modern Ethiopian women have rights, receive education, master professions, and take part in society. Therefore, advertising can be targeted at a female audience.
An anorexic body in Africa is not considered beautiful. A feminine figure is an indicator of high social status. And although globalization has had an impact on modern beauty standards, keep these features in mind when choosing images in your creatives. Do not use photos of too thin girls even for weight loss offers.
One of the best and most famous medical institutions in the country is the Red Cross and Red Crescent Dej. Balcha Hospital. This hospital is in demand among tourists and diplomatic workers, Americans and Europeans, employees of international organizations. And you can style the design of the advertisement so that it reminds of this institution and thus inspires confidence:
Ethiopia has taken a conscious course toward the development of the economy and living standards. This leads to the urbanization of the population and the corresponding patterns of behavior of residents towards urban behavior. Feel free to press on this “corn”.
Precautions
When choosing an offer for Ethiopia, do not forget to check which global and local payment systems are suitable for you. Estimate the cost to be paid to the client and compare it with the average salary in the country. You may be surprised that the amount that seems affordable to you will turn out to be large for your potential audience.
Those who live in «Addis» (as the capital of Addis Ababa is called for short) feel like metropolitan residents and their level is clearly higher than those who live in the villages.
Yes, there is also a wealthy class, but it is minimal. The majority of the population is quite poor.
English on creatives is not desirable here, be sure to translate creatives into the native language of Ethiopia (Amharic). Don’t forget to tailor your ads to your audience.
Conclusions
Ethiopia is a GEO that needs to be looked at from a perspective. There are many people here, but little money. That is, a lot of cheap traffic. But the situation is already noticeably changing for the better.The ten-year plan for the development of the Ethiopian economy takes into account the growth of the national economy by 2-3 times and the economic condition of the country’s citizens, whose income will increase.
When choosing GEO Ethiopia, set your goal not to maximize revenue, but to gain experience, collect data and test offers and bundles. While other arbitrageurs are fighting for pennies on Tier 1 or 2, GEO Ethiopia welcomes newcomers. The main thing is to calculate everything correctly.
In Ethiopia, you can safely launch offers already launched in Tier 3 countries. There is a lot of traffic here, and the price for it is very low. The best combination for learning and gaining experience. And Aff1.com managers are always in touch to suggest the best offers, share creatives and ideas.
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