Biography

Overview

Makkobilli Law Firm LLP is proud to welcome Endalkachew Mengist as the esteemed Director of its Technology Law Practice Group. Endalkachew brings to the firm an unparalleled depth of experience and a distinguished career spanning over three decades in legal practice, with a significant focus on telecommunications, technology, and complex contractual matters. His recent retirement in June 2025 from Ethio telecom, where he served in pivotal leadership roles, marks a new chapter in his illustrious journey, now dedicated to guiding clients through the evolving landscape of technology law.

Endalkachew’s extensive professional journey is characterized by a profound engagement with the legal intricacies of the digital and telecommunications sectors. Most recently, as Corporate Contracts Manager at Ethio telecom from January 2010 until his retirement in 2025, he was at the forefront of negotiating, drafting, and reviewing a vast array of international telecommunication service contracts, mobile money partnership agreements, and contracts with technological and digital solutions providers. His responsibilities extended to advising on cross-sectoral legal issues, reviewing legislation and directives for ministerial presentation, and preparing internal company policies and procedures. This role honed his exceptional skills in drafting, negotiation, administration, mediation, and arbitration, making him a formidable legal expert in the technology space.

Prior to this, Endalkachew served as Legal Service Head at the Ethiopian Telecommunications Corporation from January 2004 to January 2010. In this leadership capacity, he oversaw a large legal team comprising deputy divisions, zonal, and regional legal services, demonstrating his robust organizational and managerial capabilities. He was actively involved in litigating complex court and arbitration cases, rendering legal advice, and preparing domestic and international contracts. His tenure further solidified his expertise in procurement of goods and services and advising on multifaceted legal issues within the telecommunications industry.

His career also includes significant experience in the construction and public finance sectors. As Legal Service Head at Transport Construction Design Enterprises (October 1998 – January 2004), he provided legal counsel on engineering construction areas, including claims for damages, and gained extensive knowledge of international standard construction contracts such as FIDIC, ICE, and MOUD. Earlier, as Legal Service Head for the Amhara Regional State Finance Bureau (April 1996 – June 1997), he advised on public finance issues, taxes, customs duties, and non-tax revenues, and was instrumental in reviewing and preparing regional public finance laws and regulations. His foundational legal career also saw him serve as a High Court President in the Amhara Regional State (December 1993 – October 1998), where he managed a large staff, presided over court benches, and administered judicial decisions, showcasing his judicial acumen and leadership.

Academically, Endalkachew is exceptionally qualified. He holds an LL.M. degree from the University of South Africa (June 2014) and an LL.B. degree from Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia (July 1987). His specialized training includes a Certificate on Human Rights Law, Negotiation, Conciliating, and Arbitration from IDLO, Rome (April-June 2006), and a Certificate on Liberalized Telecom Market from Sweden (April-May 2005). These qualifications underscore his comprehensive understanding of both domestic and international legal principles, particularly relevant to the globalized nature of technology law.

Endalkachew is not only a seasoned legal practitioner but also a dedicated contributor to legal scholarship and community service. He has authored teaching materials on taxation law, published research on dispute settlement in engineering contracts, and produced a paper on VAT and income tax law from a human rights perspective. He has also coordinated and trained advocates on public finance law and provided orientation on tax law for judges and public prosecutors. His commitment to social causes is evident through his volunteer work, including serving as a Board Member for Ethiopia Aid (GUHION Development Aid) and active participation in alumni associations.

At Makkobilli Law Firm LLP, Endalkachew Mengist leads our Technology Law Practice Group, leveraging his vast experience to advise clients on a wide range of issues, including telecommunications regulations, digital transformation, data privacy, cybersecurity, intellectual property in technology, and complex technology contracts. Undoubtedly, his profound understanding of both the legal and operational aspects of technology-driven industries makes him an invaluable asset to the firm and its clients, ensuring cutting-edge and practical legal solutions in this dynamic field.

Bar Admission

Licensed to practice law at all Federal courts of Ethiopia

Languages

Fluent in English and Amharic

French: good at listening

Education

LL.M in Law, University of South Africa, Ethiopia (2014)

LL.B Degree in Law, From Addis Ababa University Faculty of Law (1987)

Key Areas of Expertise and Professional Experience

LEADERSHIP IN TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND TECHNOLOGY LAW (ETHIO TELECOM)

Mr. Endalkachew's most recent and extensive experience stems from his tenure at Ethio telecom, where he served in critical leadership capacities, culminating in his role as Corporate Contracts Manager (January 2010 – June 2025). In this capacity, he was instrumental in:

Complex Contract Negotiation and Management: Leading the negotiation, drafting, and review of a vast portfolio of international telecommunication service agreements, mobile money partnership contracts, and engagements with cutting-edge technological and digital solutions providers. This involved navigating multi-jurisdictional legal frameworks and securing favorable terms for large-scale technology deployments.

Regulatory and Policy Advisory: Providing strategic legal advice on cross-sectoral issues to senior management, contributing to the formulation of internal company policies, manuals, and procedures, and reviewing legislation and directives for submission to governmental bodies. This ensured regulatory compliance and proactive engagement with evolving legal landscapes in the digital sphere.

Dispute Resolution and Risk Mitigation: Gaining extensive practical experience in mediation, arbitration, and advising on multifaceted legal issues arising from complex commercial relationships within the technology sector.

Previously, as Legal Service Head at the Ethiopian Telecommunications Corporation (January 2004 – January 2010), Mr. Endalkachew demonstrated exceptional leadership by overseeing a large legal department with numerous zonal and regional divisions. His responsibilities included:

Strategic Legal Department Management: Planning, directing, coordinating, supervising, evaluating, and reporting on the work of a comprehensive legal service, ensuring efficient and effective legal support across a national telecommunications enterprise.

High-Stakes Litigation and Advisory: Actively engaging in and litigating complex court and arbitration cases, rendering critical legal advice, and drafting both domestic and international contracts. This period further solidified his expertise in procurement law and contract administration within a dynamic industry.

INFRASTRUCTURE AND CONSTRUCTION LAW EXPERTISE (TRANSPORT CONSTRUCTION DESIGN ENTERPRISES)

From October 1998 to January 2004, Mr. Endalkachew served as Legal Service Head at Transport Construction Design Enterprises. In this role, he developed specialized expertise in the legal aspects of large-scale infrastructure projects, including:

Construction Contract Administration: Providing legal advice and conducting research related to engineering construction areas, with a particular focus on the determination of claims for damages under various international standard contracts, including FIDIC, ICE, and MOUD. This experience equipped him with deep insights into the contractual intricacies of major development projects.

Dispute Resolution in Construction: Attending complex court and arbitration proceedings related to construction disputes, and supervising the work of external attorneys, demonstrating his capability in managing high-value legal conflicts.

PUBLIC FINANCE AND REGIONAL GOVERNANCE (AMHARA REGIONAL STATE FINANCE BUREAU)

As Legal Service Head for the Amhara Regional State Finance Bureau (April 1996 – June 1997), Mr. Endalkachew provided comprehensive legal advisory services across various regional bureaus, focusing on:

Fiscal and Revenue Law: Rendering legal advice and undertaking research related to public finance issues, including taxes, customs duties, and non-tax revenues. He played a key role in reviewing and preparing regional public finance laws and regulations, showcasing his understanding of governmental financial operations and regulatory frameworks.

Government Contracting and Litigation: Preparing and commenting on government contracts, and attending complex court litigation involving public finance matters.

JUDICIAL LEADERSHIP (HIGH COURT PRESIDENT)

Mr. Endalkachew's career also includes a distinguished period in the judiciary, serving as High Court President for the Amhara Regional State South Gondar Zone (December 1993 – October 1998). This experience provided him with invaluable insights into judicial processes and administration:

Court Administration and Oversight: Supervising a large judicial staff across High Court and Wereda Courts, and overseeing the administration of court operations, finance, and property.

Judicial Decision-Making: Presiding over high court benches, rendering administrative decisions on complaints, and passing judgments on extra-judicial issues, demonstrating his profound understanding of legal principles and their application.

Capacity Building: Facilitating training programs for judges and social court judges, underscoring his commitment to legal education and professional development.

EARLY LEGAL PRACTICE (ETHIOPIAN WATER WORKS & WATER RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY)

Mr. Endalkachew began his legal career with roles as a Lawyer at Ethiopian Water Works (January 1992 – February 1993) and a Legal Expert at Water Resources Development Authority (September 1987 – January 1993). In these foundational roles, he honed essential legal skills:

Litigation and Legal Consultancy: Attending and litigating court cases, rendering general legal consultancy services, and drafting contractual documents.

Core Legal Skills Development: Gaining critical skills in case preparation, legal analysis, argumentation, and litigation, which formed the bedrock of his subsequent specialized expertise.

Selected Experience

Endalkachew Mengist's distinguished career is characterized by a profound and diverse legal practice, marked by significant contributions across various sectors. His expertise spans complex contract negotiations, strategic legal advisory, robust dispute resolution, and effective legal leadership. Below are selected highlights of his professional experience, categorized to showcase the breadth and depth of his capabilities.

Contract Drafting, Review, and Negotiation (Telecommunications & Digital Services)

Mr. Endalkachew possesses extensive experience in the full lifecycle of contract management, particularly within the rapidly evolving telecommunications and digital services landscape. His work includes:

Telecommunication Service Agreements: Drafting, reviewing, and negotiating numerous international telecommunication service contracts, including those for inbound and outbound toll-free services, dedicated internet access, and international data services (e.g., AIRONET, VSAT, EVDO, WCDMA/3G mobile, VDSL, EPON, GPON).

Mobile Money & Digital Financial Services: Formulating and reviewing agreements for mobile money partnerships, agent agreements, digital microcredit financial services, and payment API service provisioning with various financial institutions and technology providers.

Cloud & Digital Solutions: Drafting and reviewing contracts for Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Software as a Service (SaaS) cloud products, Communication Platform as a Service (CPaaS), and enterprise collaboration solutions.

Content & Value-Added Services (VAS): Preparing and reviewing agreements for various digital content and value-added services, including IVR-based VAS, CRBT (Caller Ring Back Tone) services, and payment API systems for digital content.

Infrastructure Sharing & Interconnection: Negotiating and reviewing critical infrastructure sharing agreements and national/international interconnect service agreements between major telecommunication operators.

International Roaming & Remittance: Reviewing and negotiating international money transfer service agreements with global remittance providers and international top-up distribution agreements.

Cybersecurity & Network Solutions: Drafting and reviewing agreements for cybersecurity solutions, private network contracts, and specialized network solutions like vPBX and contact center solutions.

E-commerce & Online Services: Preparing terms and conditions for online sales, ISP sales payment collection agreements, and domain name/webhosting contracts.

Legal Advisory & Regulatory Compliance

Throughout his career, Mr. Endalkachew has provided strategic legal counsel to management and contributed significantly to regulatory frameworks:

Cross-Sectoral Legal Advice: Offering comprehensive legal advice on complex, cross-sectoral issues to senior management within large organizations, ensuring legal soundness in business decisions.

Legislation & Policy Development: Reviewing legislation and directives for presentation to ministries, and preparing internal company policies, manuals, and procedures to ensure compliance and operational efficiency.

Public Finance Law: Providing legal advice and conducting research on public finance issues, including taxes, customs duties, and non-tax revenues. He was instrumental in reviewing and preparing regional public finance laws and regulations.

Telecommunications Regulation: Advising on the legal implications of a liberalized telecom market and contributing to the drafting of regulatory frameworks, such as Reference Interconnection Offer (RIO) Framework Agreements.

Dispute Resolution & Arbitration

Mr. Endalkachew possesses robust experience in navigating and resolving complex legal disputes, both domestically and internationally:

Complex Litigation: Attending and litigating intricate court cases across various legal domains, including telecommunications, construction, and public finance.

Arbitration Proceedings: Actively participating in and advising on both local and international arbitration proceedings, demonstrating expertise in alternative dispute resolution mechanisms.

Arbitrator Role: Serving as a member of Arbitration Tribunals and rendering judgments in various disputes, showcasing his impartiality and deep understanding of dispute resolution principles.

Mediation & Negotiation: Undertaking mediation and negotiation to resolve disputes, emphasizing amicable and efficient solutions.

Legal Leadership & Management

Mr. Endalkachew has held significant leadership positions, demonstrating strong managerial and organizational capabilities:

Departmental Oversight: Leading and supervising large legal departments, including multiple zonal and regional offices, with responsibility for planning, directing, coordinating, evaluating, and reporting on legal services.

Judicial Administration: Serving as a High Court President, overseeing a substantial judicial staff, administering court operations, and presiding over court benches, which provided him with unique insights into judicial processes and administration.

Team Development: Facilitating training programs for judges, social court judges, and advocates, underscoring his commitment to professional development and capacity building within the legal community.

Specialized Sectoral Expertise

His career also highlights specialized knowledge in key economic sectors:

Telecommunications: Deep expertise in the legal and regulatory aspects of telecommunications services, infrastructure, and digital transformation.

Construction & Infrastructure: Extensive knowledge of international standard construction contracts (FIDIC, ICE, MOUD) and experience in advising on engineering construction areas and claims for damages.

Public Finance: Specialized understanding of tax law, customs duties, non-tax revenues, and public finance regulations.

This comprehensive overview of Mr. Endalkachew Mengist's selected experiences underscores his multifaceted legal acumen and his capacity to provide strategic, high-level counsel across a broad spectrum of legal and business challenges.

Onsite/In-Person Short-Term Trainings Attended with Certifications

Training on “Human Rights Law, Negotiation Conciliating and Arbitration” International Development Law Organization (IDLO), (April- June 9, 2006), Rome, Italy.

Training on “Liberalized Telecom Market”, (April 4, 2005- May 4, 2005), Sweden.

Received a number of telecom and technology related trainings, TEXA, Ethiopia

Areas of Interests/Practice

Technology Law & Telecommunications

Telecommunications Regulation: Advising on regulatory compliance, licensing, interconnection, and market liberalization within the telecom sector.

Digital Transformation Legal Advisory: Guiding clients through the legal implications of digital services, cloud computing (IaaS, SaaS), and emerging technologies.

Mobile Money & Fintech Law: Expertise in legal frameworks governing mobile money, digital microcredit, payment APIs, and financial technology partnerships.

Cybersecurity Law: Advising on cybersecurity solutions, data protection, and related legal frameworks.

Internet & Digital Content Law: Handling legal aspects related to internet services, streaming (IPTV), domain names, web hosting, and digital content agreements.

IoT/M2M Contracts: Legal advisory for Internet of Things (IoT) and Machine-to-Machine (M2M) solutions.

Satellite & Space Law (Telecommunications Aspect): Reviewing satellite lease contracts and related telecommunication aspects.

Corporate & Commercial Law

Contract Law & Negotiation: Comprehensive expertise in drafting, reviewing, and negotiating complex domestic and international commercial contracts across various industries.

Partnership & Joint Venture Agreements: Formulating franchise partnership agreements and strategic partnership MoUs.

Distribution & Agency Agreements: Preparing standard distribution, sub-distribution, and retail contracts.

Procurement Law: Advising on the procurement of goods and services, ensuring compliance and best practices.

Corporate Governance & Policy: Developing internal company policies, manuals, and procedures, and providing cross-sectoral legal advice to management.

Infrastructure & Construction Law

Construction Contracts: Extensive experience with international standard construction contracts (e.g., FIDIC, ICE, MOUD) and contract administration.

Infrastructure Development Law: Legal advisory for large-scale infrastructure projects, including fiber optic network leasing and private network contracts.

Claims & Damages: Involvement in the determination of claims for damages in engineering construction areas.

Public Finance & Administrative Law

Tax Law: Expertise in taxation, tax appeals, customs duties, and non-tax revenues.

Public Finance Law: Advising on public finance issues and the preparation/review of regional public finance laws and regulations.

Government Contracts: Preparing and commenting on contracts involving governmental entities.

Regulatory Compliance (Public Sector): Ensuring adherence to government policies and procedures.

Dispute Resolution & Arbitration

Litigation: Handling complex court cases, case preparation, legal analysis, and argumentation.

Arbitration: Expertise in both local and international arbitration proceedings, including serving as a member of Arbitration Tribunals and rendering judgments.

Mediation: Skilled in mediation as an alternative dispute resolution mechanism.

Dispute Management & Strategy: Providing strategic advice on potential disputes and developing resolution mechanisms.

International Law & Cross-Border Transactions

International Commercial Transactions: Negotiating and reviewing international telecommunication service agreements, money transfer agreements, and other cross-border contracts.

International Arbitration: Participation in international arbitration proceedings.

Cross-Cultural Legal Advisory: Ability to navigate legal issues with an understanding of international best practices and diverse legal systems.