Browsing: Safaricom

Safaricom M-PESA
  • Telco giant Safaricom has reported a 2.1% increase in net profit, reaching $225 million (KES34.2 billion) for the six months ending on September 30.
  • Company CEO says there was heightened pressure on consumers’ finances due to both global influences and domestic inflation. 
  • Money transfer service M-PESA was the firm’s biggest source of revenue at 42% in the period.

Kenya’s telecommunications giant, Safaricom, has reported a 2.1 percent increase in net profit, reaching $225 million (KES34.2 billion) for the six months ending on September 30. During this period, earnings from the cash transfer service, M-PESA, which constitutes approximately 42 per cent of the total service revenue, saw a 16 per cent surge compared to the same period in the previous year.

Safaricom CEO, Peter Ndegwa, pointed out that during the six months, there was heightened pressure on consumers’ finances due to both international influences and domestic factors such as inflation. Furthermore, …

Chief Executive Officer, Safaricom PLC, Peter Ndegwa/ Courtesy
  • Early stage startups in East Africa are set to benefit from the launch of a new accelerator programme by tech giant Safaricom.
  • Safaricom is partnering with M-PESA Africa and Sumitomo Corporation, a leading Fortune 500 global trading and business investment company. 
  • The accelerator plan dubbed Spark Accelerator is aimed at supporting early stage startups to grow and scale their businesses. 

Early stage startups in East Africa are set to benefit from an accelerator programme by Safaricom in partnership with M-PESA Africa and Sumitomo Corporation, a leading Fortune 500 global trading and business investment company. 

The accelerator dubbed Spark Accelerator is aimed at supporting early stage startups to grow and scale their businesses. The program will provide target startups with access to market, access to capital, technology and product development support. Previously, Spark Fund only offered capital injection.

Early stage startups to get mentorship

Safaricom CEO Peter Ndegwa says the move

M-Mama

The Vodafone Foundation has set aside $6 million to extend the successful m-mama maternal health initiative to Malawi over the next five years. This expansion aims to enhance maternal and newborn healthcare access in Malawi and the region. Malawi has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world. Estimates show that the country currently records 5.7 maternal deaths per 1,000 live births.…

Safaricom-Apple partnership announced by President William Ruto

In a recent announcement during the US-Africa Business Roundtable in the United States, Kenya’s President William Ruto revealed that Safaricom, a leading telecommunications company, is establishing a strategic partnership with Apple Inc. The Safaricom-Apple partnership will integrate the widely-used mobile money platform, M-Pesa, with Apple’s ecosystem. This integration will expand M-Pesa’s mobile financial services globally.
President William Ruto announced the deal after he toured Silicon Valley in San Francisco Bay, United States, on 16 September. The Kenyan leader is fast gaining popularity across Africa and globally. He has led from the front in marketing Kenya as a conducive ground for foreign business to thrive.…

Airtel on Thursday announced an expansion plan in Kenya in a market dominated by Safaricom in which the Kenyan government owns a 35 per cent stake.
  • Bharti Mittal is the Founder and Chairman of Bharti Enterprises, one of India’s foremost first-generation corporations.
  • It has interests in telecom, space communications, digital solutions, insurance, foods, real estate and hospitality.
  • Bharti Airtel, the flagship company of Bharti Enterprises, has operations in 17 countries. It ranks amongst the top three mobile operators globally.

Sunil Bharti Mittal, an Indian business magnate and philanthropist, was in Kenya last week managing a significant announcement by Airtel Kenya, a division of Airtel Africa.

During his visit, Airtel Kenya announced plans to expand its network coverage to meet the growing demand for data services in the country. The new expansion will add 349 sites into its infrastructure network by December.

What's more, an additional 300 sites are in the pipeline, the management added. The new investment represents the company’s commitment to enhancing connectivity and improving service quality.

We aim to bridge digital divide—Bharti Mittal

The…

Smart Water Meters to be deployed as Safaricom partners with KEWI

Safaricom has partnered with the Kenya Water Institute (KEWI) to deploy Smart Water System in the water sector. Through the partnership, Safaricom will deploy the system at the KEWI’s Nairobi and Kitui campuses to facilitate practical training. The giant telco will additionally co-create and run a Smart Water Management curriculum for students at the institution.…

Safaricom Ethiopia
  • Safaricom targets a customer base of at least 10 million across 25 cities in the next year.
  • Since Safaricom Ethiopia switched on its mobile telecommunications network, it has grown coverage from an initial 11 to 22 cities.
  • Safaricom Ethiopia is building a wholly-owned mobile network and also has infrastructure sharing deal with state-owned Ethio Telecom.

Safaricom is now targeting a customer base of at least 10 million in Ethiopia in the next one year. The move is tailored to shake up the country’s telecommunication industry. Latest developments follows huge investments in the country, with cash transfer service M-PESA now on the table.

Since Safaricom Telecommunications Ethiopia switched on its mobile telecommunications network and services in Addis Ababa in October last year, major inroads have been made in the second-most populous country in Africa.

It has grown coverage from an initial 11 cities when it launched to 22. The telco with …

Railways 1
  • Project Management Institute’s recent Talent Gap report shows 2.3 million people will be needed each year to fill all project management-oriented (PMO) positions that are expected to open by 2030.
  • To remain competitive, companies will need to hire problem solvers and relationship builders who can help drive change and deliver strategic value.
  • During this decade, sub-Saharan Africa will witness a 40 percent growth in PMO employment opportunities.

African economies could be headed to a severe shortage of skilled project managers to implement critical infrastructure investments across the continent.

According to Project Management Institute’s most recent Talent Gap report, 2.3 million people will be needed each year to fill all project management-oriented (PMO) positions expected to open by 2030.

To remain competitive, companies will need to hire problem solvers and relationship builders who can help drive change and deliver strategic value.

During this decade, sub-Saharan Africa will witness a 40 percent…

most profitable brand
  • Telco giant Safaricom is the most valuable Kenyan brand, estimated at $648 million. It also has the highest Sustainability Perceptions Value at $93 million.
  • Equity Bank and Kenya Commercial Bank rank second and third most valuable brands and top-two strongest brands with impressive AAA+ ratings.
  • Crown Paints Kenya is the fastest-growing Kenyan brand, up 70 percent 

Safaricom’s value went up by 14 per cent to $648 million over the past year maintaining its position as Kenya’s most valued brand even as lenders Equity and KCB regional expansion drive also paid dividends as measured by consultancy Brand Finance.

Brand Finance East Africa Regional Director Walter Serem says Safaricom has shown considerable resilience during difficult operating conditions over the past year. In the period under review, East Africa’s most profitable telco registered significant revenue growth, while successfully completing the first two years of its five-year strategy.

This strategy is guided by the …

0X0A0522
  • Safaricom and Nairobi City County have signed a partnership to digitise the county’s services and operations.
  • Under the partnership, Safaricom will develop and support the “My Nairobi App” as part of the “My Nairobi” hub that provides digital services and citizen engagement.
  • The platform offers a one-stop shop for businesses in the County where residents, and visitors, can access services with multiple functionalities including making payments.

Safaricom and Nairobi City County have signed a partnership to digitise the county’s services and operations. Under the partnership, Safaricom will develop and support the “My Nairobi App” as part of the “My Nairobi” hub that provides digital services and citizen engagement.

“This My Nairobi Hub will enable us to offer better services to the people of Nairobi. It offers a one-stop shop for businesses in the County where residents, and visitors, can access services with multiple functionalities including making payments. Residents of Nairobi …