- Safaricom has rolled out a campaign to offer technological solutions for enterprise and the public sector
- The company said it is seeking to leverage its connectivity and experience to venture into the technology space by expanding its tech solutions in the areas of digital business
- Safaricom is banking on its recent efforts to enable it to play a bigger role in digitising and transforming businesses in various sectors, including education, health and manufacturing
Safaricom has rolled out a campaign to position tech solutions for enterprise and public sector customers.
The Kenya-based telco said it is seeking to leverage its connectivity and experience to venture into the technology space by expanding its tech solutions.
The expansion is in the areas of digital business through cloud computing, cyber security and the internet of things (IoT) underpinned by IT consulting services.
Besides reinforcing its new business strategy to become a technology company, the telco is banking on these recent efforts to play a more significant role in digitising and transforming businesses in various sectors, including education, health and manufacturing.
Safaricom CEO Peter Ndegwa said that as Kenya’s digital economy continues to expand across various sectors, it is well prepared to provide matching tech solutions that will meet the digital trends and opportunities for large, small and medium-sized enterprises.
Notably, the firm will seek to digitise their businesses in areas such as fleet management, storage of information, disaster recovery and remote tracking of various assets.
“This aligns with our long-term strategy to offer technology-based solutions that ensure everyone can participate and thrive in the digital economy as we seek to become a purpose-led technology company,” said Ndegwa.
Commenting on the same, Kris Senanu, Chief Enterprise Business Officer, Safaricom, said that technology has changed and continues to change the way businesses are run.
“To be a digital business, owners must take advantage of the efficiencies created by technology. For example, cloud computing offers many options for a business, from running efficient processes to disaster recovery options”, he said.
According to research done last year by the Communications Authority (CA) and the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), in Kenya, 35.6 per cent of public sector institutions use cloud computing services compared to only 22.9 per cent of private sector institutions’ businesses.
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Cyber-security threats remain a significant factor in the success of a digital economy, with sector statistics report by the Communications Authority of Kenya indicating detection of over 70 million cyber threats during the first quarter of the 2021-2022 financial year. This has become a critical area for a business considering the digitalisation of its processes.
Safaricom pilots smart vehicle tracking system
The announcement comes after the firm announced the piloting of its telematics solution for vehicle tracking – a part of the internet of things (IoT) solutions under development.
As previously reported, the company launched a smart vehicle tracking system during this year’s East African Safari Classic Rally.
The solution, which integrates with the vehicle’s on-board computer, collects information on several parameters accumulated and recorded at the end and start of each trip. It provides insights into journey duration, vehicle speed, route information, fuel consumption and driver behaviour.
Ndegwa said they were testing new IoT solutions that will allow systems, processes, machinery, and ‘things’ to become interconnected and interoperable.
“This technology delivers a clear overview of what is happening in every part of an ecosystem without disrupting operations. The Telematics offering we are piloting at the East African Safari Classic Rally allows for visualisation of information relating to vehicle performance and efficiency, vehicle status and driver behaviour; providing key information to manage any fleet better,” said Ndegwa.
M-Pesa marks 15 years
In a separate story, M-PESA has marked 15 years since Safaricom and Vodafone launched the service in March 2007.
According to the company, the service has grown to over 51 million customers, 465,000 businesses, 600,000 agents and 42,000 developers across Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Ghana and Egypt.
The service processes over 61 million transactions a day, making it Africa’s largest fintech provider.
“In 15 years, we have seen population access to formal financial services grow to as high as 83% as we introduced additional services and reached more customers. Going into the future, we continue to build on our purpose to transform lives by providing our customers with a wide variety of digital solutions that empower them in an increasingly digital world,” said Peter Ndegwa, CEO – Safaricom.
Safaricom’s Contribution to the Kenyan Economy Hits Sh557.1bn 2020/2021