Last week, Safaricom celebrated its Silver Jubilee, marking 25 years since its official launch on 23rd October 2000. This week, Safaricom announced its partnership with Meta to bring the second submarine cable to Kenya. Through its subsidiary, Edge Network Services Limited, Meta has appointed Safaricom as a landing partner for a new high-capacity submarine cable connecting Oman and Kenya.

Dr. Peter Ndegwa, the CEO of Safaricom, stated that this move aligns with the company’s Vision 2030 strategy to become a fully-fledged technology enterprise. He believes this action positions Safaricom to meet the growing demand for high-capacity, low-latency connectivity, which is vital for fostering economic growth, cloud adoption, and digital innovation.  

The Under-Sea Cable System will be fully financed by Edge, with locally licensed operators in Kenya and Oman contracted to manage the cable segment within territorial waters and all related in-country infrastructure. This is quite notable, considering that the company was among the investors in Kenya’s first fibre-optic cable, The East African Marine System (TEAMS), launched in 2009. 

However, the more important question is: what does this imply for the end user?

 This move is expected to significantly reduce consumer data costs. As a result, consumers can look forward to more extensive and widespread digitisation across the country.

This announcement came just days before Safaricom launched its Citizens of the Future project. The ambitious five-year education programme, led by the M-PESA Foundation, is supported by an initial investment of approximately KES 30 billion. It seeks to prepare learners for an increasingly digital world by addressing gaps in the current system. The project will involve upgrading infrastructure and improving ICT skills for teachers in over 600 institutions across the country. It also allocates scholarships for more than 10,000 students in senior secondary and higher education institutions over the next five years. A key part of the programme is the development of model institutions, or “Schools of the Future,” featuring modern infrastructure fully integrated with technology. 

Safaricom is also working towards its goal of becoming Africa’s leading purpose-driven technology firm by 2030.  It remains Kenya’s dominant player in the telecommunications sector, with a market share of around 65.2%. With the company’s expansion into Ethiopia, the announcement of its partnership with Meta, and the launch of its Citizens of the Future project, it remains uncertain how much further the company can grow.