Zebegna Bets on Homegrown Tech to Solve Ethiopia’s Fleet Inefficiencies

In a country where freight-forwarding bottlenecks and security lapses have long hampered the growth of Ethiopia’s logistics sector, a homegrown tech startup is aiming to reshape the landscape. IoTeq  Solution PLC, a five-year-old company that blends smart hardware with cloud-based solutions, has rolled out Zebegna, a comprehensive transport‑management platform built on a 15‑million‑Birr investment.

The Zebegna suite began as a minimum viable product three years ago. After nine months of refinement, incorporating feedback from logistics firms, security agencies, and government fleets, the platform now offers GPS-enabled fleet management, driver tracking, telematics, and a suite of analytics tools. The system’s hardware, designed in-house, includes custom trackers, load- and fuel-sensors, and embedded vehicle controllers that communicate in real time with a web-based dashboard and a mobile app for individual car owners.

Co-founders Biniam Dereje and Endale Mitiku, both experienced in embedded hardware engineering and enterprise software design, say they created Zebegna to address a “persistent gap” between imported GPS solutions and the specific needs of Ethiopian operators.

“Many businesses still rely on outdated, imported GPS systems that lack flexibility, real-time insight, and local support,” Biniam told Shega. “We observed recurring issues: fuel theft, route inefficiencies, vehicle misuse, and a lack of data-driven dispatching. Zebegna is our answer: a fully integrated platform built for our infrastructure and logistics pain points.”

Zebegna’s “dual‑track” model lets businesses manage fleets through a web portal while individual car owners access the same services via a mobile app. Once IoTeq’s hardware is installed on a vehicle, the in-house software enables remote management, driver-to-dispatch communication (via the app or external channels), and a suite of security functions, including immobilization, alerts, and live‑feed surveillance. The platform tracks location, speed, route history, and driver behavior and integrates geofencing, load‑ and fuel‑sensor alerts, dispatch, and intelligent job‑assignment tools, plus customizable dashboards with automated reports.

“The platform solves critical problems: vehicle misuse, fuel theft, unauthorized trips, poor route planning, delayed dispatch, and a lack of driver accountability,” Biniam added.

Aschalew Wolde, operations manager at African Transport Share Company, highlighted the tedious “manual, phone-based” workflow for managing drivers.

 “Platforms like Zebegna let customers see shipment times and driver details in real time,” he told Shega, underscoring the shift toward data-driven logistics.

The platform already serves more than 75 organizations, including logistics firms, banks, NGOs, government fleets, and private security companies, managing over 1,200 active vehicles with roughly 730 monthly user logins across web and mobile interfaces. IoTeq’s revenue has so far come from hardware sales: custom-manufactured GPS trackers, load sensors, and security modules, most of which are imported from China and purchased in U.S. dollars. 

The company is now pivoting to a hybrid model that combines hardware sales with subscription-based software, tiered by fleet size and feature set, and integrated with the Telebirr payment system. Future plans include enterprise licensing, white‑label options for large institutions, and value-added services such as premium support, analytics customization, API access, training, and third-party integration. The founders are also open to partnerships and contracts after years of self-funding their project.

Zebegna won a 250,000 Birr cash prize for first place at the Ethiotel Innovation Program two months ago. The startup is now gearing up for Zebegna 3.0, slated for a September launch. The upcoming version promises AI-driven predictive‑maintenance alerts, cross-border tracking via eSIM and satellite fallback, integration with Ethiopia’s traffic‑management and customs systems, in‑vehicle infotainment, driver‑ID authentication (biometric or RFID), and visual‑AI dash‑cam analysis for unsafe driving.

“We aim to replace imported hardware and foreign‑sourced software with locally manufactured solutions that meet Ethiopian needs,” Biniam says. As Ethiopia’s logistics sector continues to modernize, Zebegna’s blend of hardware, software, and local expertise may become the new standard for transport management in Ethiopia. While other companies have attempted to introduce a slew of tech-based freight and fleet management tools, they have struggled to scale or remain efficient.