Safaricom 2018 Sustainable Business Report

59 INTRODUCTION OUR BUSINESS OUR MATERIAL TOPICS STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT 2018 SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS REPORT Harnessing mobile technology to transform farming DigiFarm is a platform that provides smallholder farmers with convenient access to a variety of services, including discounted inputs, financing and advice on best farming practice: all from the comfort of a mobile phone. We are delighted to report that 700,000 farmers registered on our DigiFarm platform during the year, with over 200,00 using the service daily and 7,000 successfully taking out loans to assist with purchasing high-quality seeds, fertilisers and pesticides. Based on this immediate success, our target is to register 1.4 million farmers on the platform by December 2018. DigiFarm offers smallholder farmers access to a suite of information and financial services, including discounted products, customised information and tutorials on farming best practices, and access to credit and other financial facilities. The service has also been expanded through the addition of our Connected Farmer solution to enable farmers to share information, such as expected yields with processors, and to transact through seamless M-PESA payments. Supporting educational outcomes in Kenya More than 2,800,000 learners and 40,000 teachers across Kenya are now using our SMS, USSD and web-based education platform, Shupavu291 . The platform provides lessons and quizzes to primary and high school students, who can also search for information and access Wikipedia summaries without an internet connection. The popular service also includes an Ask-a-Teacher feature, through which students can ask a qualified teacher questions remotely. Over 60 million questions have been exchanged on Shupavu291 and users have been found to score 22.7% higher than the national average for their standard. Students can register for the service by dialing *291#. Shupavu291 won the ‘Best Mobile Innovation for Education’ award at the 2018 GSMA Global Mobile (GLOMO) Awards. B Team keeping sustainable business on the leadership agenda The B Team – Africa continued to gain momentum during the year and was formally launched at the Africa CEO Forum in Abidjan in March 2018. The B Team – Africa is an alliance of progressive business leaders who want to empower Africans by helping to create more sustainable and just economies across the continent. The purpose of the alliance is to assist each other by sharing ideas and resources. S D G 8 S D G 4 S D G 1 7 Launch of the B Team – Africa at the Africa CEO Forum in Abidjan in March 2018. S D G 4 S D G 1 7