Here is to new opportunities because you matter to us

When fish vendor Julia Akumu made only KES 300 in a day from selling fish, she was devastated. With limited cash, the single mother of six went home juggling what to prioritize between a meal for her kids, saving to pay rent, and how to re-invest back to her business.

With her 2G feature phone, commonly known as Kabambe, Julia’s customer base is only limited to walk in customers. Unlike her, fruit vendor Samuel Dumia uses his 4G enabled Neon Ray Smartphone to reach his customers. On the day Julia made KES 300, Samuel made KES 1500.  Most of his customers made orders via his social media platforms where he posted his products, their prices and delivered through Boda Boda riders (bicycle taxis), thus creating more jobs along the entire value chain.

The difference between the two is huge simply because of a smartphone that enables wider and unlimited market access.

Besides businessmen and women, students with the desire to gather more information or farmers looking for education content are missing out on a bigger knowledge platform.

At least 94% of the Kenyan population is covered by our 3G network, and 85% on 4G, but only 1 in 5 Kenyans has access to the internet. This presented an opportunity for innovation, how do we get more of our customers online? In context, their 2G devices limit them to calls and SMS, therefore leaving them behind in a world that is increasingly becoming more digital.

Like Julia, millions of Kenyans are struggling to make ends meet, therefore purchasing a smartphone is not a priority. Many people with 2G devices still believe smartphones are expensive and out of reach.

As a digital enabler and connector, Safaricom believes in inclusivity for all and in leaving no one behind, as captured in our vision of Transforming Lives. Leveraging on the power of technology, and in a unique partnership with Google, we introduced a smartphone-financing plan dubbed Lipa Mdogo Mdogo that will democratize access to data and drive inclusion as we sought to scale the barrier of cost of smartphones.

Our brand promise is ‘We are here FOR YOU’, and that is why we have to be there for Julia and other customers like her. To change their lives by allowing them the opportunity to upgrade to a 4G smartphone without causing a dent in their wallets. Majority of these customers earn a daily wage, and therein the challenge, and the opportunity! How do we allow them to gain access to a smartphone today and pay for it over a period of time, and at a repayment that makes sense based on their daily earnings?

We have all witnessed the contrast between Julia and Samuel. However, the good news is, with Lipa Mdogo Mdogo, Julia and other customers can now access a smartphone that they pay for-as-they-use on a daily or weekly basis for as low as KES 20 (US 0.20cts) per day. This presents a real opportunity for a 360° digital transformation and a positive impact on their household income.

To do this at scale, we needed to get like minded partners, and in partnership with Google (who gave us the Android lock solution and access to the Android 10 platform ahead of its market launch), TeleOne (who customized a device to meet Safaricom & Google specs), we had a team of over 70 Safaricom Staff and teams from Google and TeleOne in three different countries working on this project amid the challenges of bringing this to life with the constrains imposed on working by the Covid-19 pandemic. Julia and her story inspired us, but also the opportunity to create a unique, and one of a kind smartphone financing plan for prepay customers (probably a world first), while leveraging the power of our M-PESA platform for payments.

And we know that Julia’s story will soon be like Caleb Karuga of Wendy Farms (find him as @calebkaruga on the main social media platforms) – he is a young modern farmer who is leveraging on the internet to upscale his farm, increase productivity and get a market for his produce. With his 4G enabled smartphone device, he takes photos of his products or videos and posts them on social media for sale. While relying on peer-reviewed articles on Google, he can learn how to deal with farming challenges based on experiences from other farmers in different parts of the world.

Like Caleb, 16 years old Maryanne Wangari, a member of the Ghetto Classics in Korogocho has not stopped learning how to play the cello despite challenges caused by COVID-19. Through our network and Google Meet, she connects with her tutor who is kilometers away in Ngong and together they have a seamless lesson.

On the other hand, Evans Bundi, a garbage collector in Nairobi can access Google Maps for directions to industries and estates. He is now updated on the go on any developments in the office via Whatsapp.

See below video on how to qualify for Lipa Mdogo Mdogo

Smartphones in the hands of customers possess life-transforming possibilities. They open a new world. While we aim to take this innovation to the world and into the hands of every consumer through affordable means, I encourage individuals and corporates alike to follow suit with innovations that will bring change to customer consumption habits.

Besides, forming partnerships with like-minded institutions will go a long way in bringing the power of computing to everyone. Access to these opportunities is critical for any nations’ economic growth and social inclusion.

Lipa Mdogo Mdogo is a significant enabler of our future strategy on data and enabling digital ecosystems. At its best, the data generated in this and other innovations will allow us to be results-driven, find out what works—under what conditions—and use that information both to improve our products, programs and institutions, and to make resource allocation decisions more effectively.

Can’t wait to see what we unveil next as we keep our focus on being Notoriously Customer Obsessed!