Our Contribuition to the UN SDGs

OUR SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS STRATEGY

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, launched in 2015, provides a global blueprint for dignity, peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and in the future. Since 2016, Safaricom has worked to translate this shared vision into our sustainable business strategy

Rather than adopt a ‘one size fits all’ approach, we prioritised certain SDGs most relevant to our business and where we felt we could have the biggest impact. 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 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.

UNPACKING OUR CONTRIBUTION TO THE UN SDGs

SDG 3: GOOD HEALTH & WELLBEING
Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being 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 1 000 live births and under 5 mortalities to at least as low as 25 per 1 000 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
Leveraging our mobile technologies and our Foundations to transform lives by improving access to quality and affordable health care services and by promoting well-being for all.

The M-Tiba health service now has over 3 876 751 active users and 6 021 approved health facilities countrywide
Approximately 90 000 women of reproductive age and children under five years are expected to benefit from the Uzazi Salama (‘Safe parenting’) initiative aimed at strengthening the county’s health systems to support the delivery of quality Reproductive, Maternal, New-born, Child and Adolescent Healthcare (RMNCAH)
The Daktari Smart telemedicine programme at the Suba Sub-County Hospital is part of a larger telemedicine initiative that aims to improve access to high quality healthcare and targets over 32 000 children in Homabay, Samburu, Baringo and Lamu daily.

SDG 4: 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.

352 923 learners have now downloaded the Zeraki Learning application which provides secondary school learners with access to affordable education services from well trained teachers
Through Shupavu291—a revision tool for learners in primary and secondary schools across Kenya—we reach 500K unique customers monthly via the SMS based service whereas engaging 3K monthly customers via the web-based Education service.
Eight teacher training colleges underwent digital infrastructural improvements
The M-PESA Foundation Academy has provided 414 poor students with access to a high-quality education and supported 574 learners in various tertiary institutions
Established a partnership with GIGA Project and UNICEF to connect over 1 000 schools.

SDG 7: AFFORDABLE & 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 and leveraging technology to provide clean energy, including payment solutions.

237 000 indigenous trees grown in 215 ha of degraded forest in line with our carbon offset programme
Accelerated deployment of solar to 1 432 sites, so that solar currently contributes approximately 23% to our energy mix
Reduced our overall emissions from 57 803 tCO2e to 55 780 tCO2e, bringing us closer to realising our sciencebased emission reduction targets.

SDG 8: DECENT WORK & 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, including through a focus on high value added and labor-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 1 159 309 jobs through our wider economic impact in FY23, including 262 309 M-PESA agents and 432 dealers.
530 farmers were engaged and empowered in FY23 under the Wezesha Agri programme.
There are 1.6 million registered farmers on DigiFarm, with 167 000 farmers engaged on credit and KSh 940 million in loans disbursed to farmers.
A total of 720 suppliers received business from Safaricom. Spend with local suppliers stood at 63.53% compared to foreign spend 36.47%, an increase of just over two percentage points year-on-year.
Through Baze Video, a subscription-based mobile-focused video-on-demand service, we partnered with 9 local content creators for exclusive video content. Over 400K customers access content monthly

SDG 9: INDUSTRY, INNOVATION & 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 well-being, 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 that will provide unmatched solutions to meet the needs of Kenyans.

Built our own energy dashboards which have enabled remote monitoring thereby improving network stability and energy efficiency
Over 26.8 million Kenyans connected to the internet each month
Extended our fibre optic cable footprint to 14 000 kilometres and to date, have connected 275 657 homes and over 48 373 fixed data customers to high-speed internet. In addition, we have connected over 26 860 businesses through our 4G LTE
New 4G spectrum integrated across 2 300 sites to increase radio capacity
373 000 subscribers now enjoy our fast 5G speeds and three experience centres in Nairobi.
Over 69 mini apps hosted in the M-PESA app for businesses and consumers with an average of 400 000 monthly users
M-PESA GO onboarded 2.9 million child accounts
Under the Universal Service Fund programme, completed 34 sites covering 33 sub-locations
Over 1 209 689 IoT connections in asset management, utilities and telematics, with use cases such as monitoring of beverage coolers
New digitally stamped M-PESA statements have benefitted 1.3 million customers and merchants by reducing demand at our call centres by 37.5% and by 8% in our retail shops.Built our own energy dashboards which have enabled remote monitoring thereby improving network stability and energy efficiency
Over 26.8 million Kenyans connected to the internet each month
Extended our fibre optic cable footprint to 14 000 kilometres and to date, have connected 275 657 homes and over 48 373 fixed data customers to high-speed internet. In addition, we have connected over 26 860 businesses through our 4G LTE
New 4G spectrum integrated across 2 300 sites to increase radio capacity
373 000 subscribers now enjoy our fast 5G speeds and three experience centres in Nairobi.
Over 69 mini apps hosted in the M-PESA app for businesses and consumers with an average of 400 000 monthly users
M-PESA GO onboarded 2.9 million child accounts
Under the Universal Service Fund programme, completed 34 sites covering 33 sub-locations
Over 1 209 689 IoT connections in asset management, utilities and telematics, with use cases such as monitoring of beverage coolers
New digitally stamped M-PESA statements have benefitted 1.3 million customers and merchants by reducing demand at our call centres by 37.5% and by 8% in our retail shops.

SDG 10: REDUCE 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 for everyone, especially to vulnerable groups, leveraging Safaricom leadership, networks, solutions and technology.

Continued to promote diversity: gender balance at 51% male and 49% female; women in senior management at 40%; 24% of the technology division is staffed by women; 29% of women in technology occupy leadership positions and 3.0% of our staff are persons with disabilities (PwDs)
Women now account for 5.81% of total procurement spend
Young people with disabilities trained in information technology Phase 1 of the IT Bridge Academy Internship programme
33 PwD interns onboarded
Over 937 000 customers acquired high end smart devices through a financing partnership with Meta, Google and M-Kopa Solar – 60% of customers upgraded from 2G devices
Partnership with Google’s YouTube Music platform realised nearly one million daily active users, driving our mobile data penetration in Kenya
Women in Technology (WIT) programmes continued to onboard, build and retain women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) careers.

SDG 12: RESPONSIBLE CONSUMPTION & 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.

In total, we achieved circularity for 96.7% of materials used
132 tons of e-waste was collected, 100% of which was refurbished
Reduced fuel (diesel and petrol usage) (from 10 018 842 m litres in FY22 to 8 827 895.28 m litres fuel in FY23) – a decrease of 11.9%
Achieved 9.9% decrease in water consumption.

SDG 16: PEACE, JUSTICE & 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.
16.5Substantially 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

The percentage of suppliers signed up to our Supplier Code of Conduct which is aligned with the Code of Ethics for Business in Kenya increased from 71% in FY22 to 81%
Leveraged the Jiandikishe KYC app to combat moneylaundering and other crimes associated with mobile money. A total of 140 000 tills are now on the Jiandikishe KYC app, with 35 million customers reached.
Launched myCounty app which helps to digitise government operations and attracted 7 000 users within the first 30 days.

SDG 17: 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 multistakeholder 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. Partnerships with:

Amazon Web Services for acceleration of digital services aspiration through the cloud
VISA to deliver the M-PESA Global Pay Virtual Card linked to M-PESA Account enabling payments to international online merchants
Microsoft for enterprise cloud-based solutions that enhance user experience and service provision in education, health, agriculture and security amongst other services
Spark Fund (Sendy, Ajua, Eneza, SokoFresh and iProcure).

PREVIOUS REPORTS | ANNUAL REPORTS

SAFARICOM HOUSE | Waiyaki Way, Westlands PO Box 66872, 0800 Nairobi

Tel: +254 722 00 4524/4260 | www.safaricom.co.ke

Please share any comments, queries or suggestions you have with the reporting team by emailing sustainability@safaricom.co.ke