Safaricom: Championing Sustainable Business in Africa

For years, Safaricom has transcended the traditional role of a telecommunications company, evolving into a benchmark for how African enterprises can create significant social and environmental value while achieving commercial success. The recent release of its 14th Sustainable Business Report marks a pivotal moment in this journey. Safaricom’s "True Value" now stands at KSh 1.1 trillion, a figure that astonishingly compares to a financial profit sixteen times smaller, prompting a rethinking of what defines success in the corporate world.

Beyond Profit: The True Value Equation

True Value is more than just a methodology; it represents a holistic approach to understanding the broader impacts of a company’s operations. This innovation quantifies the economic, social, and environmental outcomes stemming from business activities. In the fiscal year 2025, Safaricom contributed a staggering KSh 809 billion to Kenya’s GDP, showcasing its influence in providing access to financial services, creating jobs, and enhancing digital infrastructure.

This substantial impact is largely propelled by M-PESA, which continues to serve as the foundational pillar of Kenya’s financial ecosystem. The platform fuels an extensive network of agents, merchants, and innovators, exemplifying a model where technology-driven businesses can harmonize commercial interests with sustainability.

As Safaricom’s CEO, Peter Ndegwa states in the report, “Sustainability is not an obligation; it is a business imperative.” He emphasizes that the 25-year journey of Safaricom has always been rooted in the principle of connecting people to opportunities and information.

Sustainability as Strategy

Safaricom’s 2025 report, titled Anchored on Purpose, Accelerating a Digital Future, delineates a comprehensive and pragmatic sustainability strategy. In the year under review, over 830,000 trees were planted across eight counties, involving more than 4,000 community members, raising the total to 2.3 million trees—nearly halfway to its 2030 target.

The company’s waste management strategies have also been remarkably effective; it achieved a 99 percent recycling rate, collecting 190 tons of e-waste and 62 tons of plastic through its M-PESA Green Points initiative. Further affirming its commitment to sustainability, Safaricom received recognition from the CDP A-list for its climate change performance and supplier engagement.

However, the narrative of sustainability intertwined within economic challenges further illustrates Safaricom’s dedication to inclusion. The number of smartphones on its network increased from 44 to 50 percent, primarily due to the “Lipa Mdogo Mdogo” financing initiative that eases the barriers to digital access. Achievements in gender equity are noteworthy, too, with women representing 49 percent of the workforce and 45 percent of senior leadership—a clear indicator of progressive corporate culture.

Trust as Infrastructure

A critical aspect often overlooked in technology solutions is the element of trust. Safaricom’s governance achievements in 2025 may be as consequential as its environmental and social initiatives. The company secured ISO 27701 certification, denoting the highest standard for privacy information management, and saw an impressive 87 percent reduction in fraud cases, thanks to machine-learning systems designed to identify fraudsters proactively.

In an interesting intersection of technology and conservation, Safaricom employed its anti-money laundering algorithms to detect illegal financial flows connected with poaching, resulting in the identification of 14 suspects to law enforcement. Such instances illustrate how data-driven systems can nurture both commerce and conservation when anchored by accountability.

The Trillion Shilling Question

Safaricom’s trillion-shilling impact embodies real-world implications: it translates into jobs supported, trees restored, classrooms connected, and farmers empowered through platforms like Digifarm, which disbursed KSh 945 million in credit to 169,000 smallholder farmers.

This begs an essential inquiry about the future trajectory of Kenya’s corporate landscape. If businesses begin to adopt True Value as a core metric alongside traditional profit, the reshaping of incentives, reporting, and growth definitions will inevitably ensue. Although this transformation is complex, Safaricom’s report serves as a practical guide for navigating such a paradigm shift.

What stands out is the meticulous discipline behind the reported figures. Safaricom’s sustainability metrics are rigorously evaluated and independently verified, aligned with both the Global Reporting Initiative and IFRS disclosures, which adds a layer of credibility often absent in corporate sustainability narratives.

Looking Ahead: From Purpose to Permanence

Safaricom’s ambitions extend well beyond the Kenyan borders. Its foray into Ethiopia, though still nascent, aims to replicate its successful model in a new market. The vision remains clear: to become Africa’s preeminent purpose-led technology company by 2030, while striving for net-zero emissions by 2050.

While the trillion-shilling figure might eventually fade from headlines, the core philosophy is poised for longevity. It challenges businesses to reconsider whether they operate in an extractive manner or if they can indeed be regenerative, pondering the creation of value without marginalizing segments of society.

Kenya’s economic narrative has long championed innovation—from mobile money to agritech. With Safaricom’s trillion-shilling impact setting a benchmark, discussions now pivot toward the quality of innovation: how benefits are distributed, environmental safeguards are upheld, and public trust is reinforced.

The measurement of success, it seems, is evolving to reflect not just what a corporation earns, but what it enables others to achieve.