Our contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals

OUR SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS STRATEGY

We commit to deliver connectivity and innovative products and services (SDG9) that provide unmatched solutions to meet the needs of Kenyans by enabling access (SDG10) through our technologies and partners (SDG17) and by exploring opportunities in Health (SDG3), Education (SDG4) and Energy (SDG7). We will do so by managing our operations responsibly (SDG12) and ethically (SDG16). This will stimulate growth and generate value (SDG8) for our company, society and economy.

Our Board is the key driver of our work to realise the vision of the UN SDGs. Accordingly, in 2016, the Board directed us to begin integrating the SDGs into our business strategy. Since 2018, we have incorporated our priority SDGs into our performance objectives, both as a company and on an individual employee level. Each division is implementing projects or developing products and services in line with the SDGs. Reporting on targets related to the SDGs is now central to our ways of working, and we seek to empower all those with whom we work – employees, partners and other stakeholders – to set their own.

Safaricom management reports to the Board on progress and assumes the responsibility of implementing, monitoring and reporting on sustainability initiatives through seamless integration of the SDGs into the day-to-day operations and functional responsibilities of the business. The Board and management teams are further supported by a team of champions, who assist with the implementation, monitoring and reporting of SDG-related initiatives in each of the squads and teams within our newly implemented agile working structure.

The four transformational pillars of our corporate strategy support our efforts to embed the SDGs into our everyday business activities, priorities and plans. The following table illustrates this by mapping the SDGs against the strategic pillars and our material topics.

SDG CONTRIBUTION TO EACH MATERIAL MATTER

GOOD HEALTH AND WELLBEING: “ENSURE HEALTHY LIVES AND PROMOTE WELLBEING FOR ALL AT ALL AGES.”

KEY UN SDG TARGETS

3.1 By 2030, reduce the global maternal mortality ratio to less than 70 per 100 000 live births.

3.2 By 2030, end preventable deaths of newborns and children under 5 years of age, with all countries aiming to reduce neonatal mortality to at least as low as 12 per 1000 live births and under-5 mortality to at least as low as 25 per 1000 live births.

3.8 Achieve universal health coverage, including financial risk protection, access to quality essential health-care services and access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all.

OUR CONTRIBUTION

Leverage our mobile technologies and our Foundations to transform lives by improving access to quality and affordable health care services and by promoting wellbeing for all:

  • Our award-winning M-Tiba product, in partnership with CarePay, is a health payments solution with an e-wallet, which enables the users to save towards healthcare expenses from as little as KSh 10. The product now has over 5 million users and 3 980 approved health facilities countrywide. Over KSh 1 billion have been paid out to date.
  • Through maternal and child health programmes, the Safaricom and M-PESA Foundations are improving access to quality, affordable and accessible services for women and children. These programmes have impacted on over 367 341 lives across Kenya.

QUALITY EDUCATION: “ENSURE INCLUSIVE AND EQUITABLE QUALITY EDUCATION AND PROMOTE LIFELONG LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES FOR ALL.”

KEY UN SDG TARGETS

4.1 By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes.

4.2 By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education so that they are ready for primary education.

4.A Build and upgrade education facilities that are child, disability and gender sensitive and provide safe, non-violent, inclusive and effective learning environments for all.

OUR CONTRIBUTION

Expanding access to education through innovative solutions, our network and through partnerships.

  • Our unstructured service supplementary data (USSD) and SMS service Shupavu 291 enables students and teachers to take quizzes, search subjects to study and access Wikipedia summaries without an internet connection. The service currently has over 600 000 active subscribers and has so far been used by over 6 million learners since launch in 2016.
  • Safaricom Foundation’s Accelerated Learning Programme has imparted basic literacy and numeracy skills to 6 966 learners in Turkana, Bungoma and Tana River Counties.
  • The M-PESA Foundation Academy provides 200 economically disadvantaged students with access to a high-quality education through world class learning facilities, focused on building leadership and entrepreneurship skills. Over 230 000 learners have benefitted from projects funded by Safaricom Foundation under the Accelerated Learning Programme, as well as the construction and equipping of facilities with books and assistive devices.

AFFORDABLE AND CLEAN ENERGY: “ENSURE ACCESS TO AFFORDABLE, RELIABLE, SUSTAINABLE AND MODERN ENERGY FOR ALL.”

KEY UN SDG TARGETS

7.1 By 2030, ensure universal access to affordable, reliable and modern energy services.

7.2 By 2030, increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.

OUR CONTRIBUTION

Transitioning to the use of clean energy at our sites, together with leveraging technology to
provide clean energy, including payment solutions.

  • We have introduced science-based carbon reduction targets to help us plan our progress towards becoming a net zero carbon emitting company by the year 2050. In FY20 we registered our targets with the Science Based Targets Initiative
  • We have planted over 650 000 trees under our carbon offset tree growing initiative which is part of our commitment to grow 5 million trees in five years which we estimate will offset 26% of our emissions
  • We have transitioned 255 (5%) of our sites to renewable and hybrid energy sources – up from 217 (4%) in FY20, with 1 299 (23.5%) connected to the national grid so far
  • In partnership with M-Kopa Solar, we have provided access to solar energy to over 822 913 households with an impact on 3.3 million lives and over 1.7 tonnes (tCO2) in avoided emissions
  • We have partnered with Circle Gas to provide low income households in Nairobi access to clean, affordable, convenient and reliable cooking gas. To date 41 000 customers have enrolled, with over 1.4 million cooking sessions using M-Gas.

DECENT WORK AND ECONOMIC GROWTH: “PROMOTE SUSTAINED, INCLUSIVE AND SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC GROWTH, FULL AND PRODUCTIVE EMPLOYMENT AND DECENT WORK FOR ALL.”

KEY UN SDG TARGETS

8.2 Achieve higher levels of economic productivity through diversification, technological upgrading and innovation, excluding through a focus on high-value added and labour-intensive sectors.

8.3 Promote development-oriented policies that support productive activities, decent job creation, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation, and encourage the formalization and growth of micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises, including through access to financial services.

8.5 By 2030, achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men, including for young people and persons with disabilities, and equal pay for work of equal value.

8.6 By 2020, substantially reduce the proportion of youth not in employment, education or training.

8.10 Strengthen the capacity of domestic financial institutions to encourage and expand access to banking, insurance and financial services for all.

OUR CONTRIBUTION

Providing decent work within Safaricom and our broader ecosystem, including enforcing effective health and safety practices both internally and by suppliers, simultaneously contributing to the local and national economy through innovative solutions to increase employment and facilitate economic activity amongst suppliers and customers.

  • We sustained 1 003 669 jobs through our wider economic impact in FY21, including 247 869 M-PESA agents and over 435 dealers
  • Under the Safaricom Foundation Wezesha programme we have supported over 936 youth with digital jobs skills training and agribusiness through the Wezesha Agri programme
  • Over 14 000 active farmers are using the Digifarm integrated agriculture platform service end to end. This service, which helps agribusiness and smallholder farmers access credit, information and sell their farm produce, has seen over 228 416 farmers accessing learning content and over KSh 473 millions’ worth of inputs redeemed.

INDUSTRY, INNOVATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE: “BUILD RESILIENT INFRASTRUCTURE, PROMOTE INCLUSIVE AND SUSTAINABLE INDUSTRIALISATION AND FOSTER INNOVATION.”

KEY UN SDG TARGETS

9.1 Develop quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure, including regional and transborder infrastructure, to support economic development and human wellbeing, with a focus on affordable and equitable access for all.

9.C Significantly increase access to information and communications technology and strive to provide universal and affordable access to the Internet in least developed countries by 2020.

OUR CONTRIBUTION

Delivering connectivity and innovative products and services to provide unmatched solutions to meet the needs of Kenyans.

  • Our mobile network coverage – 96% of the population covered by 2G, 95% covered by 3G and 94% covered by 4G, with over 22 million Kenyans connected to the internet.
  • We extended our fibre optic cable footprint to 10 080 kilometres and have so far connected 204 234 homes and 15 300 businesses to high speed internet. In addition, we have connected over 21 364 businesses through our 4G LTE.
  • We have completed the construction of 43 of the allocated 48 sites under the Universal Service Fund, providing mobile connectivity to 204 181 people in underserved areas.
  • Over 726 100 IoT connections in asset management, utilities and telematics, with use cases such as monitoring of beverage coolers.

REDUCING INEQUALITY: REDUCE INEQUALITY WITHIN AND AMONG COUNTRIES.

KEY UN SDG TARGETS

10.2 By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status.

10.4 Adopt policies, especially fiscal, wage and social protection policies, and progressively achieve greater equality.

10.C By 2030, reduce to less than 3 per cent the transaction costs of migrant remittances and eliminate remittance corridors with costs higher than 5 per cent.

OUR CONTRIBUTION

Reducing inequalities by enabling equal access to opportunities to everyone, especially to vulnerable groups, using Safaricom leadership, network, solutions and technology.

  • Diverse and inclusive workforce: We have achieved a 50:50 gender balance of all employees, 34% of senior management and 23% of our Technology Division respectively comprise women. 2.6% of our staff are persons living with disabilities.
  • Women in Business Initiative. We plan to increase the share of our procurement spend going to women owned businesses, currently standing at 2.3%, to 10%.
  • We have partnered with Google and M-Kopa Solar to provide device financing whereby subscribers can acquire a smart device with daily instalments of KSh 20. To date over 470 000 customers have acquired high end smart devices through this financing.

RESPONSIBLE CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION: “ENSURE SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION PATTERNS.”

KEY UN SDG TARGETS

12.5 By 2030, substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse.

12.6 Encourage companies, especially large and transnational companies, to adopt sustainable practices and to integrate sustainability information into their reporting cycle.

OUR CONTRIBUTION

Managing our operations responsibly, decreasing our environmental impact and promoting responsible behaviour among all our stakeholders.

  • 87 500 pieces of disposable plastic tumblers removed as result of the company move to reusable water glasses in all customer reception areas. Over 200 000 single use plastics removed across the business.
  • Through our Integrated Waste Management programme, we recycled 88% (75 tonnes) of waste collected from our administrative buildings in Nairobi and our switches in Athi River, Thika and Nairobi.
  • 1430 tonnes of E-waste collected and recycled since the inception of our E-waste management programme.

PEACE, JUSTICE AND STRONG INSTITUTIONS: “PROMOTE PEACEFUL AND INCLUSIVE SOCIETIES FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, PROVIDE ACCESS TO JUSTICE FOR ALL AND BUILD EFFECTIVE, ACCOUNTABLE AND INCLUSIVE INSTITUTIONS AT ALL LEVELS.”

KEY UN SDG TARGETS

16.4 By 2030, significantly reduce illicit financial and arms flows, strengthen the recovery and return of stolen assets and combat all forms of organized crime.

16.5 Substantially reduce corruption and bribery in all their forms.

16.10 Ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms, in accordance with national legislation and international agreements.

OUR CONTRIBUTION

Managing our operations responsibly and ethically and fighting corruption in all its forms.

  • 97% of our suppliers have signed up to the Code of Ethics for Businesses in Kenya.
  • 451 dealers and their staff, 1345 agents and 530 suppliers trained on Know Your Customer (KYC) requirements for registration of customers to combat money-laundering and other crimes associated with mobile money.
  • 98.5% of staff taken through ethics and anti-corruption training.

PARTNERSHIPS FOR THE GOALS: “STRENGTHEN THE MEANS OF IMPLEMENTATION AND REVITALISE THE GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT.”

KEY UN SDG TARGETS

17.16 Enhance the global partnership for sustainable development, complemented by multi-stakeholder partnerships that mobilize and share knowledge, expertise, technology and financial resources, to support the achievement of the sustainable development goals in all countries, in particular developing countries.

OUR CONTRIBUTION

Partnering and building collective capacity of people, organisations and nations to promote and advance the SDGs.

  • Partnership for acceleration of digital services aspiration through the cloud with Amazon Web Services.
  • Partnership with Circle Gas to provide access to clean energy for low income households in Kenya.
  • Joint venture with Vodacom in acquiring M-PESA brand to accelerate financial inclusion in Africa.
  • Six portfolio companies to date with a close commercial partnership with Safaricom (Sendy, mSurvey, Eneza, Lynk, Farm Drive and iProcure).