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Hosting · Ethiopia

Hosting · Ethiopia

Web hosting in Ethiopia, chosen for your data and your visitors

For an Ethiopian website, hosting is a legal question as well as a technical one. We plan where your WordPress site lives with Proclamation No. 1321/2024 in mind, then configure and look after it.

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Currency: Ethiopian birr (ETB)
Payments: telebirr, Chapa, CBE Birr
Data protection: Personal Data Protection Proclamation No. 1321/2024
Time zone: UTC+3, 2 hours ahead of Lagos

Overview

Web Hosting for organisations in Ethiopia.

Most hosting decisions come down to speed, reliability and price. In Ethiopia a fourth factor applies: Article 22 of the Personal Data Protection Proclamation asks controllers and processors to ensure personal data is stored on a server or data centre in Ethiopia.

We provide managed hosting through our partners Cloudways and Hostinger as part of Managed Services from $2,000 per year, and we can also work with in-country hosting where your data requires it.

In detail

Web Hosting in Ethiopia, in detail.

Reading Article 22 before choosing a server

Article 22, titled Data Sovereignty, places a storage duty on controllers and processors, allows the Ethiopian Communications Authority to name critical personal data that may only be processed in Ethiopia, and requires prior approval for sending sensitive data abroad. The Authority's supporting directives were still pending in late 2025. A brochure site with a single contact form presents a different picture from a school portal holding pupil records. We map what your site collects, then set out hosting options for your legal adviser to confirm.

In-country and international options

Ethio Telecom offers web hosting, virtual servers and cloud services alongside .et domains, which can suit data that must stay in Ethiopia. International platforms through our partners Cloudways and Hostinger offer mature tooling, automated backups and easy scaling. Some organisations combine the two: personal data held in Ethiopia, public pages and media served efficiently from elsewhere. We explain the trade-offs in cost, speed and maintenance so you choose knowingly.

Your .et domain and DNS

Ethio Telecom is the registry for .et and sells domains through its online portal, with .com.et for businesses and .org.et for non-profits. Schools and public bodies using .edu.et or .gov.et must show they are eligible, with non-government applicants submitting a request letter, business licence, TIN and VAT certificate. We help register the domain in your organisation's name, then set up DNS, SSL and email records and keep renewal dates on record.

Speed for visitors on mobile data

With most visitors on phones, server speed matters only if pages are light. We configure server and page caching, compress images into modern formats and limit unnecessary scripts. Where public content can be cached closer to users, we use a content delivery network for static files while keeping personal data where it should be. Finally, we measure load times from phones on mobile data, not from an office connection, and keep tuning after launch as traffic grows.

What managed hosting means with us

We do not simply hand over login details. Managed hosting covers the server setup, firewall, malware scanning, daily backups, staging copies, uptime alerts and scaling when traffic grows. The hosting account sits in your organisation's name, so you are never locked in. When an admissions window or a sales campaign brings a spike in visitors, we scale resources ahead of time instead of waiting for the site to slow down. You receive a monthly summary of uptime, backups and any incidents.

Hosting setup includes

Hosting setup includes.

Strategy & Design from $1,500 · Development from $5,000 · Managed Services from $2,000 per year. See pricing

Data map of what personal data the site stores
Hosting options set out against Article 22 for your adviser
Server or cloud plan configured for WordPress
.et or .com.et domain, DNS and SSL in your name
Server and page caching for mobile visitors
Daily backups stored to match your data rules
Firewall, malware scanning and uptime alerts

How we approach web hostingThe full detail on our approach, process and what is included.

Our work

Platforms we have built.

Ticketing and learning platforms built by our Nigeria team carry heavy traffic spikes and personal records, the two pressures we plan hosting around.

Technext Events10,000+ tickets sold and scannedRead the case study

Alvina SchoolsVirtual learning environmentRead the case study

Questions

Frequently asked questions

Do we have to host our website in Ethiopia?

Article 22 of Proclamation No. 1321/2024 requires personal data to be stored on a server or data centre in Ethiopia, and transfers abroad are allowed only under set conditions. How it applies depends on the data your site processes, and directives are still pending. We document the data and present options, and your legal adviser confirms the approach.

Which hosting companies do you use?

Our managed hosting partners are Cloudways and Hostinger. Where data needs to stay in Ethiopia, we can work with in-country providers such as Ethio Telecom, which offers hosting and cloud servers. The choice depends on your data, traffic and budget.

What does web hosting cost in Ethiopia?

Prices differ by provider and plan, and local providers publish theirs in birr. Our Managed Services, which combine hosting with maintenance, security and performance, start from $2,000 per year. Your written quote sets out exactly what is included. Hosting on its own is usually a modest part of running a site; the care around it is where value lies.

Can you move our site from a local host?

Yes. Hosting moves are part of our Migrations service, starting from $1,000 per migration. We copy and test the site on the new server, switch DNS at a quiet time and keep the old host running until everything is confirmed.

Can you set up email on our .et domain?

Yes. We configure the DNS records for your email provider, including SPF, DKIM and DMARC, so messages from your .com.et address reach inboxes reliably. Domain and email setup is part of Managed Services. We also make sure website notifications and receipts are sent through an authenticated service, so they arrive reliably.

Start a project

Tell us what you need WordPress to do.

A new website, a redesign, a client portal, a booking system, or a move from another platform. Tell us what you need and we will tell you how WordPress can carry it.