Addis Ababa: TECHzMagazine – News Desk
M-PESA Ethiopia has officially launched “Arada Enhun,” a 90-day nationwide promotion designed to accelerate digital payment adoption and expand commerce across the country. Featuring a 1 million Ethiopian Birr (ETB) prize pool, the campaign recognizes and rewards merchants who actively increase their digital transaction volumes to support Ethiopia’s growing digital economy.
To position local merchants as primary drivers of a cashless society, the initiative introduces a gamified reward structure where business owners earn draw codes for eligible transactions. Merchants accumulate entries by accepting customer payments through the M-PESA Scan and Pay feature or by selling mobile airtime and data bundles directly via the platform. Higher transaction volumes directly translate to a greater share of draw codes, increasing a merchant’s odds of winning.
Alongside financial incentives, the rollout highlights M-PESA Ethiopia’s unified Merchant QR service. This interoperable payment solution simplifies checkout by enabling merchants to accept payments from M-PESA users as well as various independent banks and digital wallets through a single QR code.
Powered by integration with EthSwitch, Ethiopia’s national switch operator, this unified system establishes a frictionless ecosystem that offers consumers flexible payment options while allowing merchants to serve a broader customer base. By combining direct monetary rewards with modern financial infrastructure, “Arada Enhun” aims to lower barriers to digital adoption and accelerate Ethiopia’s broader shift toward a modern, cashless economy.
