Safaricom’s KES 30 Billion Plan to Tech-Upgrade Kenya’s Education System
Safaricom—the company that put mobile money on the global map—is celebrating its 25th anniversary with a commitment far bigger than any network upgrade: a massive KES 30 billion (approx. $225 million USD) investment into the future of Kenyan learning.
Through its M-PESA Foundation, the tech giant just announced the “Citizens of the Future” program, a bold, five-year initiative designed to bridge the digital skills gap and create a new standard for education in the region.
This is not a simple handout. Safaricom’s plan is to develop over 600 “model institutions,” creating what they term the “Schools of the Future.” This concept involves a major digital overhaul:
- Deep Tech Integration: Embedding technology into the core learning process, preparing students for the demands of the digital economy.
- Modern Infrastructure: Upgrading physical plants with a focus on sustainable, modern construction.
- Inclusivity Focus: Ensuring new infrastructure and technology are accessible to learners with special needs.
Safaricom CEO Peter Ndegwa framed the investment as a necessary intervention: “We have developed education interventions that seek to bridge the gap through innovation and material support.”
While the Kenyan government’s 2023/24 education budget is significant, the M-PESA Foundation points to critical challenges like “inadequate capitation” and a shortage of materials that hinder the “requisite skilling to match human-capital requirements of the digital age.”
Safaricom is stepping in to provide the resourcing, technical support, and capacity strengthening that the public sector needs to truly compete globally.
Nicholas Nganga, Chairman of the M-PESA Foundation, affirmed the ambition: “We are going beyond supplementing education to transforming it.”
The program also includes a crucial social mobility component: funding over 10,000 scholarships for senior secondary and tertiary students. This new commitment of KES 30 billion is layered on top of the KES 29 billion Safaricom’s foundations have already invested in education, demonstrating a long-term, multi-generational approach to its corporate purpose of “transforming lives.”
Michael Joseph, a Trustee of the M-PESA Foundation, linked the initiative directly to the company’s silver jubilee: “This does indeed come at a defining moment, as we are celebrating 25 years of Safaricom.”
In a move designed to ensure maximum impact, the company has opened up the selection process to the public. Starting now, Kenyans have one month to nominate a deserving learning institution to become a beneficiary of this massive digital upgrade.
- Nomination Portal: Visit https://www.citizenofthefuture.org/
- Process: Deserving schools will be shortlisted based on defined criteria, emphasizing need and potential for transformation.
Safaricom’s “Citizens of the Future” is more than CSR; it’s a strategic, future-proof investment in the human capital required to sustain Kenya’s digital leadership.