Safaricom’s True Value in Kenya grows to $8.5 billion

• Safaricom PLC’s True Value in fiscal year 2025 is 16 times greater than its financial profit during the period.
• The telco’s True Value was enhanced by creating value for customers, agents and merchants through fintech M-PESA, increased investment in responsible citizen and social impact initiatives.
• Company contributed KES809 billion to Kenya’s GDP through its touch points in the various value chains.

In an economy where Safaricom PLC products and services weave deep networks from corporate boardrooms, to government corridors, to the ever bustling SME sector, the company’s True Value in 2025 increased to $8.509 billion (KES1.1 trillion), the latest Sustainable Business Report shows.

In the trading period ending 30th March 2025, the company contributed KES809 billion to Kenya’s GDP through its touch points in the various value chains. In an update on Tuesday, Safaricom attributed the increase in the True Value earnings to the enhanced value created for customers, agents and merchants through its fintech unit M-PESA, heightened investment in Corporate Social Investments as well as expansion in Safaricom’s CAPEX and OPEX economic impact during the financial year.

In business terms, True Value is a detailed measure of a company’s total impact beyond financial returns, an aspect that often touches on a firm’s economic, social, and environmental contributions.

True Value quantifies the externalities both positive and negative generated by operations, allowing businesses to understand how to create both corporate and societal value, enhance stakeholder relationships, and make data-driven decisions that promote a more resilient and equitable future.

“Over the past 25 years, Safaricom has evolved into a purpose-led technology company guided by one simple mission: to transform lives by connecting people to people, people to opportunity, and people to information. At the heart of this journey is sustainability, embedded not as an obligation, but as a business imperative. Now in our 14th year of publishing our Annual Sustainable Business Report, we continue to hold ourselves accountable, using the Sustainable Development Goals as our blueprint for impact,” said Dr Peter Ndegwa, CEO, Safaricom PLC.

The sustainability report titled “Anchored on Purpose, Accelerating a Digital Future” demonstrates how Safaricom, which now has presence in Ethiopia serving over 10 million customers, leverages innovation, partnerships, and technology to create meaningful impact, connecting communities, enhancing education, improving healthcare, and driving financial inclusion.

Read also: Second cohort of Spark Accelerator program set to speed up African tech growth

Key Highlight of the Report
Environment

• Over 830,000 trees planted, 694 hectares restored, across 8 counties, engaging over 4,000 community members in FY 24/25. Fenced 15km of Kakamega forest.
• Cumulatively, we have grown 2. 3 million trees against a target of 5million by 2030.
• Achieved CDP A-list recognition on Climate Change and Supplier Engagement Assessment.
• Achieved a 99 per cent recycling rate, collecting and recycling 190 tonnes of e-waste and 62 tonnes of plastic through M-PESA Green Points.

Social Digital inclusion

• Growth in smart phones in the network from 22.93 million to 27.37 million.
• Nine early-stage startups supported through Spark Fund Accelerator Programme.
  Agriculture Digifarm.
• KES945 million in credit disbursed across 169,000 loans, enabling access for inputs and services.
• 36 per cent of loan recipients were women, and 17 per cent were youth.
• Smartphone ownership increased from 44 per cent [in FY24] to 50 per cent, driven by Lipa Mdogo.

Safaricom’s Diversity Equity & Inclusion progress

• Male 51 per cent: Female 49 per cent gender representation across all employees, and 45 per cent women in senior leadership positions.
• 3.6 per cent of staff are persons with disabilities (PwDs).
• For our customers we are using AI to deliver personalized offers that speaks to them at a given time. This led to15.2 per cent year-on-year growth in mobile data revenue and a 14 per cent increase in usage per customer.

Governance

• Safaricom was awarded the ISO 2770- the highest certification in Privacy Information Management System (PIMS). This demonstrates Safaricom’s dedication to safeguarding customer data across its GSM and M-Pesa services.
• Enhanced transparency: Inclusion of IFRS disclosures in addition to GRI.
• Recorded 87 per cent fraud reduction through use of AI to identify fraudsters who do social engineering. On anti-money laundering we detected poaching activity and associated revenue flow through M-Pesa. 14 poachers identified and reported to financial reporting center.

Read also: Safaricom’s major M-PESA upgrade since 2015 to deliver scalability, resilience

(NB: 1USD = KES130)