Deep dive into the goals

Three years ago, the United Nations launched the 17 Global Goals (SDGs). These Global Goals aim to end extreme poverty, fight inequality and injustice. They also seek to tackle, among other important initiatives, climate change. We launched the SDG business strategy in July 2016. Over the past year we have worked on our 9 goals with varied results.

We provide highlights of some of our contributions towards the SDGs in the section below :

Goal 3: Leveraging our mobile technologies to deliver health services. In partnership with Pharmaccess, we have developed M-Tiba, a mobile health payments platform that allows for health savings through a closed loop wallet, and real-time management of health payments and claims. To date, MTiba has over one million lives on its platform. In the year under review, MTiba won the Loeries Shared Value award.

Goal 4: Increasing access to education through innovative solutions and partnerships. In partnership with Eneza, we have grown the user base of Shupavu, a SMS and web-based learning and revision platform to 3,503,120 unique (number of) users. Shupavu provides affordable revision content at Ksh 10 per week.

Goal 7: Increasing the use of clean energy. Though our Net Zero by 2050 Programme, we continue to improve our network and facilities energy efficiencies. We continuously upgrade our equipment and set a target of 10% reduction per year. We are also implementing carbon mitigation initiatives

Goal 8: Providing decent work opportunities within Safaricom and its broader ecosystem. We have committed to paying a living wage to outsourced staff. We continue to expand our dealer and agent network which employs over 150,000 Kenyans directly.

Goal 9: Delivering connectivity and innovative products and services. We have expanded our network coverage to reach out to underserved sections of our population under the universal service fund. Fibre to the home has grown year on year, currently we are 141,000 homes passed.

Goal 10: Reducing inequalities by enabling equal access to opportunities for everyone,especially to vulnerable groups. We have a business commitment to increase the percentage of workforce comprised of differently abled persons to 5% by 2020. Currently we are at 1.7%.

Goal 12: Responsible Production and Consumption entails decreasing our environmental impact and promoting responsible behaviours among all our stakeholders. We have rolled out an integrated waste management programme we are currently recycling 97% of our waste. We have reduced our consumption of energy, water and fossil fuels by 10% from the previous year’s consumption. We have grown our shipments by sea to 66% from 61% last year, and have incorporated energy saving metrics in all tenders where applicable.

Goal 16 is about managing our operations responsibly and ethically and fighting corruption in all its forms. We assessed high risk suppliers on labour rights, ethics, human rights, Business Continuity Planning, and Information Security Management System. We have put in place policy measures to ensure safety of our children online, and compliance with KYC regulations.

Goal 17 is about Partnership for the SDGS, and building the collective capacity of people organisations and nations to promote and advance the SDGs. We supported the establishment of a vibrant B Team Africa to catalyze responsible business practices on the continent.