Safaricom - 2021 Sustainable Business Report

56 SAFARICOM SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS REPORT 2021 / STANDING TOGETHER: GOING BEYOND //// OUR MATERIAL TOPICS / OUR STAKEHOLDERS / KPI SUMMARY We are committed to providing innovative solutions (SDG 9) to meet the needs of Kenyans by expanding access to healthcare (SDG 3), education (SDG 4) and clean energy (SDG 7). We are achieving this by going beyond to stand together and leverage our technology and partnerships (SDG17). INNOVATION AND PARTNERSHIPS INNOVATION UNDERPINS OUR GROWTH AMBITIONS Innovation is central to achieving our ambition of becoming a purpose-led technology company, retaining our competitive edge and ensuring that we continue to grow. Constant innovation is an important aspect of ensuring that we not only anticipate and meet customer needs, but also that we meet our commitment to the SDGs. Our approach to innovation is defined by the needs of our customers and the business imperative to respond to the needs of our society. Our business plays an important role in the lives of society, whose members look up to us for solutions to their most pressing challenges. The teams liaise closely with the Customer Obsession Stream to gather business insights into areas that matter most to customers and to guide the business in new areas of opportunity. These insights are complemented by predictive models to drive smarter business decisions and actions, together with training. In FY21, for example, we trained staff to enable them to offer best-in-class Cloud Services and also held Cloud training sessions for MSMEs and start-ups. The training was provided to all enterprise staff trainees who interact with Cloud customers. Before launching or further developing a new product, we solicit our customers’ insight and feedback. Co-creating solutions with customers in this manner, refines and ensures congruence between customer requirements and value offered. This reinforces loyalty to our brand, helping us retain and expand our customer base. We want our customers and potential customers to see our commitment to excellence as a brand differentiator. ACCELERATING GROWTH We embarked on several initiatives and partnerships to accelerate growth: ACQUIRING M-PESA AFRICA Together with South Africa’s Vodacom, we acquired the M-PESA brand, product development and support services through our newly-formed joint venture (M-PESA Africa). This move will accelerate M-PESA’s growth in Africa by giving both Vodacom and Safaricom full control of the M-PESA brand, product development and support OUR HIGHLIGHTS • Together with Vodacom, completed the acquisition of the M-PESA Africa brand, product development and support services. • Successfully submitted the bid and were awarded the operating licence for Ethiopia as part of the Safaricom led consortium. • We achieved Advanced Consulting Partner status in the Amazon Web Service (AWS) Partner Network (APN), becoming one of the first APN members in East Africa. • Launch of Lipa Mdogo Mdogo – a device financing initiative in partnership with Google with 247 379 devices sold under this initiative. • Successful implementation of Public Service IoT in 15 000 public service vehicles (matatus). • Active 4G devices grew 39.8% year-on-year (YoY) to 8.5 million while data customers using more than 1GB in our network grew 31.1% YoY to 6.1 million. PARTNERING TO RESPOND TO COVID-19 • To minimise cash handling during the pandemic, we partnered with the public service vehicle operators to provide an option for cashless fare payments. • We partnered with UNESCO and Eneza’s Shupavu 291 solution to give approximately 4 000 students access to mentors and information on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects via SMS. • Partnered with Longhorn, Viusasa Elimu, Shupavu-Eneza & KICD to provide access to e-learning to 1.6 million learners.