Ethiopian Developer Launches a Centralized Portal for Ad Placements on Telegram

A new marketing portal aims to simplify ad placements for Ethiopian businesses on Telegram by providing detailed listings of subscriber numbers and insights into user demographics. Kelemat Ads, a web-based platform launched last week, looks to position itself as the go-to marketing partner for small businesses targeting a digital push. The aggregated portal offers a streamlined alternative for Telegram marketing in Ethiopia, a space currently dominated by a decentralized network of informal relationships and direct negotiations.

Developed by Yonatan Haylemelkot, a computer science graduate from St. Mary University, has already onboarded more than sixty-five Telegram channels with a combined subscriber base exceeding 85,000 users. The platform enables advertisers to easily browse channels, place ad orders, and automate the posting process.

 “I have been building the network of channels for the past two months,” Yonatan told Shega.

He was inspired to create the platform after encountering major difficulties in promoting a previous ed-tech venture, which ultimately failed due to limited market visibility. He says their inability to adequately promote the product and understand the advertisement landscape contributed to its ultimate closure.

“We want to make digital marketing available for people with minimal digital literacy,” the developer noted.

Kelemat charges a commission fee for successful connections between prospective advertisers and Telegram channels settled through the Telebirr mobile money service. Despite significant demand for digital marketing and over 15 million Telegram users in Ethiopia, a significant portion ad placements go through direct contact between channel owners and advertisers rather than Telegram’s ad platform.

Telegram officially introduced its ad platform in 2021 through Sponsored Messages, which appear in public channels with over 1,000 subscribers. These ads are text-based (up to 160 characters), subtle, and designed to be non-intrusive and contextually relevant.

Ethiopian digital marketers have relayed the difficulty of managing Telegram’s advertising platform for most small business owners. The platform’s reliance on cryptocurrency, its requirement of a crypto-wallet, and initial up-front costs have delayed adoption. While Telegram’s ad platform offers potential for greater scalability and reach, most Ethiopian advertisers have gravitated toward informal, peer-to-peer arrangements.

Kelemat aims to centralize this fragmented ecosystem by providing a user-friendly hub where marketing agreements can be made quickly, securely, and transparently. Channels currently featured charge as little as 10 Birr and up to a few hundred Birr per post. The developer hopes to onboard larger, high-engagement channels with millions of followers in the near future.