Addis Ababa, Ethiopia — M-PESA Ethiopia, the country’s fastest-growing mobile financial service, and Gebeya Inc., Africa’s AI-powered creator platform, today announces the launch of the Dala AI Bundle — a new subscription offering that allows Ethiopians to access advanced AI creation tools and make payments directly through M-PESA.

For the first time in Ethiopia, users can pay for AI tools using their M-PESA wallet, removing the need for credit cards and making artificial intelligence accessible to anyone with a mobile phone.

The partnership marks the first time an African mobile money operator has bundled AI-powered creation tools as a mainstream product, allowing subscribers to pay for advanced AI capabilities using their M-PESA wallets. The Dala AI Bundle sits alongside existing offerings, making AI accessible to every Ethiopian with a mobile phone.

Ethiopian builders, entrepreneurs, and creators can now subscribe to Dala Studio’s localized AI tools, including app building, AI Agent creation, game development, comic generation, and AI-powered content creation in Amharic, Oromo, and other local languages.

All subscriptions are payable seamlessly via M-PESA, eliminating traditional payment barriers.

"We're not just adding another product, we're handing the keys of building and creation to every Ethiopian with a mobile phone," said Amadou Daffe, CEO of Gebeya Inc. "A student in Addis, a merchant in Bahir Dar, a storyteller in Hawassa, all can now create digital assets in their own language, making their payments through M-PESA, the app they already use every day. This is how Africa's AI future gets built: by Africans, for Africans."

The launch builds on Gebeya's existing partnership in Ethiopia through the Safaricom Talent Cloud, which has already trained thousands of Ethiopian developers. The Dala AI Bundle extends that commitment from training to direct consumer access.

“M-PESA is evolving beyond payments into a gateway for digital services,” said Elsa Muzzolini, CEO of M-PESA Ethiopia. “By partnering with Gebeya, we are enabling millions of Ethiopians to access AI tools through a payment platform they already trust. This is the next step in transforming lives through inclusive digital innovation.”

How it will work:

  • The bundle is available on the Dala Studio platform accordingly
  • And soon on the M-PESA Application itself

Strategic Significance:

The partnership expands M-PESA’s role beyond money transfer into digital services, opening new opportunities within Ethiopia’s growing creator and developer economy.

For Gebeya, the collaboration validates the AI bundle model at national scale, leveraging M-PESA’s distribution network to reach millions of users.

For Ethiopia, the Dala AI Bundle represents a major step toward democratizing AI access and accelerating the country’s digital transformation agenda.

About M-PESA Ethiopia

M-PESA Safaricom (Safaricom M-PESA Mobile Financial Services PLC), a subsidiary of Safaricom Ethiopia, is a licensed mobile financial services provider regulated by the National Bank of Ethiopia. The company received its Payment Instrument Issuer License in May 2023 and officially commenced operations in August 2023.

M-PESA offers secure, fast, and convenient financial services accessible to anyone with a mobile phone. Through its platform, customers can send and receive money, pay for goods and services, purchase airtime, and access a growing ecosystem of digital financial solutions. By leveraging technology and an extensive agent network, M-PESA is committed to driving financial inclusion and expanding access to digital payments across Ethiopia

About Gebeya Inc.

Gebeya gives Africa’s service and creative economy its own AI Agent -  a reliable, always-on digital assistant built for every business owner in the African market.

We design intelligent systems that embed directly into everyday operations, helping entrepreneurs work smarter, reduce costs, and grow sustainably. From automating customer engagement to supporting better decision-making and seamless scale, Gebeya’s AI Agents provide the constant operational backbone African businesses need to compete and win.

Whether you’re a solo creator or a growing enterprise, Gebeya transforms how businesses operate in the real African economy - turning talent into structured, efficient, and future-ready enterprises.

With Gebeya, Africa isn’t catching up to AI. It’s building its own future, one AI Agent at a time.

Media Contacts:

  • M-PESA Ethiopia: Elsa Muzzolini, CEO of M-PESA Ethiopia, elsa.muzzolini@safaricom.et
  • Gebeya: [Amadou Daffe, CEO and Co-Founder, amadou@gebeya.com]