Artificial intelligence adoption is accelerating demand for data storage globally and contributing to supply delays for enterprise hard drives, Tosh NXT Tech Ventures Managing Director Santosh Varghese said at the GITEX Kenya forum held in Nairobi last week.

Varghese, whose firm is a commercial partner for Toshiba Europe managing the company’s data storage business across the Middle East and Africa, told the forum that growing use of AI in business and government is increasing pressure on organisations to expand data centre capacity and enterprise storage systems.

“Today, data is a currency. Because there’s an AI revolution happening, and for AI engines to work, you need to have data,” Varghese said.

The company cited research indicating that nearly 166 zettabytes of data will be generated globally within the next few years, a trend it said is pushing institutions to invest in reliable storage systems. Tosh NXT did not name the source of the research in its statement.

Varghese said AI systems require large volumes of stored information for training, analytics and automation, putting data centres and enterprise storage infrastructure at the centre of digital transformation programmes. He added that demand has tightened supply in some markets. “There’s a massive demand for Hard Disk Drives across all categories, mainly Enterprise HDD because businesses and hyperscalers are implementing large AI solutions,” he said.

He said some customers are experiencing delivery delays, with certain businesses waiting up to four months to acquire hard drives for major projects, attributing the situation to global shortages of storage devices.

At the event, the company showcased Toshiba’s MG Series enterprise hard disk drives and related technologies, including high-capacity models starting from 24 terabytes. Tosh NXT also pointed to Toshiba’s roadmap that includes a 32TB hard drive designed for data centres and AI applications, according to the statement.

Varghese said some enterprise hard drives use helium-filled technology intended to reduce heat generation and power consumption in large-scale data centres. The company said enterprise hard drives remain among the most in-demand products globally, particularly among banks, hospitals, universities and large technology firms operating data centres.

Beyond enterprise infrastructure, Toshiba also supplies storage products for surveillance systems, small businesses and consumers, Tosh NXT said. Varghese noted that surveillance storage demand is rising alongside AI-enabled security systems and smart monitoring technologies.

According to the company, Toshiba launched the S300 AI Surveillance Hard Drive last year, which it said can support up to 64 CCTV cameras and handle 32 AI video feeds continuously throughout the year.

The statement positions Kenya and other African markets as growth areas as organisations invest in cloud infrastructure, AI and broader digital transformation. For Kenya’s business landscape, increased demand for data storage has implications for data centre investment, IT procurement cycles and the cost of deploying AI workloads, especially for regulated sectors such as banking and healthcare that must retain and protect large datasets.

Varghese said organisations are also changing how they use stored information, shifting from long-term retention to more active analytics aimed at improving efficiency. “Businesses are not just storing data and keeping it for seven or ten years. They are analyzing the data and using it for business applications,” he said.

Looking ahead, continued AI uptake is likely to keep demand elevated for enterprise storage and surveillance-grade drives, potentially sustaining longer lead times for hardware procurement as Kenyan firms expand data centre capacity and modernise digital infrastructure.

Mitsumi Distribution has announced a KES 258 million (US$2 million) investment to build an artificial intelligence (AI) cloud platform intended to give Kenyan university graduates, software developers and early-stage tech entrepreneurs access to affordable computing infrastructure.

The company said the initiative was announced last week in Nairobi during the AI Everything Kenya X GITEX Kenya Summit. According to Mitsumi, the platform is designed to reduce the cost barriers that can limit local developers’ ability to build, test and scale AI-enabled products on cloud infrastructure.

Mitesh Shah, Co-founder and Managing Director at Mitsumi Distribution, said the company is funding the project largely as a corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative. “The AI cloud we are putting up is around $2 million. This is mostly CSR from Mitsumi’s side so that most of our educated youths can utilize it for different things,” Shah said.

Mitsumi said the platform will enable local developers to build and test software, experiment with AI solutions and connect to international technology markets without incurring the costs typically associated with global cloud services. The company added that access to advanced tools and computing power remains a key constraint for many young innovators.

Jagat Shah, Chairman and CEO of Mitsumi Distribution, linked the investment to affordability challenges faced by young professionals. “So many youths are well educated to do something good, but because of cost and affordability, they are not getting good exposure,” he said.

The announcement comes amid increased public and private sector focus on digital infrastructure and AI skills as Kenya positions its digital economy for growth. For the local market, access to compute is a practical constraint for AI development, given that training and running modern AI models can be expensive and often requires specialised hardware capacity.

Mitsumi also disclosed that it has hired more than 50 young people within its AI division, where it said they are working on research, product development and digital solutions. The company argued that Kenya’s talent base could support a stronger role in regional AI and software development if infrastructure constraints are addressed. “Kenyan youth possess exceptional technical talent and a strong understanding of software development. What has been missing is greater access to platforms and infrastructure that can help them innovate, scale and compete globally,” Jagat Shah said.

The firm welcomed the government’s ongoing efforts to develop an AI policy framework, stating that clear regulation and ethical standards could support responsible innovation. While the company did not provide timelines for the cloud platform’s rollout or details on how developers will access the infrastructure, it indicated the initiative is intended to broaden participation in AI development.

Looking ahead, Mitsumi said locally developed AI solutions could be applied to improve healthcare, education and access to essential services, particularly in underserved and remote communities. The next milestones likely to be watched by the sector include the platform’s launch date, eligibility and pricing structure for users, and how the initiative aligns with Kenya’s emerging AI policy direction.

TikTok removed 820,552 videos in Kenya in the fourth quarter of 2025 for violations of its Community Guidelines and banned 108,752 accounts in the country over the same period, according to the company’s Q4 2025 Community Guidelines Enforcement Report released on May 19, 2026.

The company said 99.9% of the removed videos in Kenya were taken down proactively before any user reports were made, while 98.4% were removed within 24 hours of posting. TikTok said the figures reflect its use of detection systems and rapid response processes to limit the spread of content it deems harmful.

In addition to content removals, TikTok reported that 93,704 of the 108,752 banned accounts in Kenya were suspected to belong to users below 13 years old, which violates the platform’s rules.

The enforcement data comes as Kenya’s digital economy continues to expand and more consumer-facing businesses, creators and advertisers rely on short-form video platforms to reach audiences. The scale and speed of takedowns is increasingly relevant for brand safety, regulatory scrutiny and online child protection—areas that have become more prominent across East Africa as internet penetration rises.

“In the fourth quarter of 2025, TikTok removed 820,552 videos in Kenya for violating its Community Guidelines,” TikTok said in the report. “99.9% of these videos were proactively removed before anyone reported them, while 98.4% were taken down within 24 hours of posting.”

On account enforcement, the company added: “Additionally, TikTok banned 108,752 accounts in Kenya for policy violations,” noting that “93,704 accounts were suspected of being accounts aged below 13.”

Globally, TikTok said it removed 175,302,085 videos in the quarter, representing about 0.5% of all uploads on the platform. The company reported that 152,580,933 videos were detected and removed using automated detection technologies, while 8,360,780 videos were reinstated after further review. TikTok said its global proactive removal rate was 99.1%, with 93.4% of flagged content removed within 24 hours of posting.

For Kenya’s business landscape, the report’s data points to continued tightening of platform enforcement that can affect publishers, influencers and small businesses that depend on organic reach. More automated moderation may reduce exposure to prohibited content but can also increase the risk of erroneous takedowns, particularly for news-adjacent content, public interest debates or vernacular-language posts that automated systems may interpret incorrectly. TikTok’s disclosure that millions of videos were reinstated globally after review suggests that appeals and secondary checks remain part of its moderation process.

The company said it enforces policies at scale by combining “advanced automated moderation tools” with “thousands of trust and safety professionals worldwide,” and that it targets content including misinformation and hate speech, among other violations.

TikTok directed users and the public to its published transparency documentation for details, stating that the full Q4 2025 Community Guidelines Enforcement Report is available online.

TECNO on May 15, 2026 launched a suite of smartphone-based artificial intelligence (AI) tools in Nairobi that it says can operate without an internet connection, positioning the move as a response to high data costs and patchy connectivity that limit technology use for many Kenyans.

The company said the tools were launched at the University of Nairobi and are designed for everyday use cases including schoolwork support, basic health information searches and small business record-keeping performed directly on a user’s handset.

“AI should not be only for expensive devices. It should help a student revise, a trader track sales, a parent translate information, or a creator make better content,” said Elvis Ndekwe, TECNO AI Product Operations Officer. “Our goal is to make AI simple, useful, and available to more Kenyans”.

TECNO cited findings from research firm Omdia, saying high data costs and weak network signals often prevent Kenyans from adopting new technology. In response, the firm said it has built its AI features to run “on-device”, meaning processing is done locally on the phone rather than sending data to remote servers over the internet.

According to TECNO, running these functions on the handset is intended to allow users to access tools even when they have no airtime or data bundles, a common constraint for households and micro-businesses that rely on prepaid mobile services.

Tools aimed at informal trade, learning and health information

TECNO said the release focuses on three practical areas: small business support, education and healthcare information.

For small businesses, the company said the AI can act as a “Virtual Consultant” by reading payment messages and SMS to generate automatic record-keeping and M-PESA-linked money summaries. The firm said this is meant to help traders track sales and manage cash flow offline, potentially lowering reliance on third-party bookkeeping apps that require connectivity.

In education, TECNO said students can use its “Ella AI assistant” to summarise long documents and YouTube videos into shorter study notes. The company characterised the tool as an always-available study aid that continues to function while offline.

For healthcare, TECNO said its system provides voice-guided health tips and support in local languages, with the aim of helping families access wellness information without travelling long distances to clinics. The firm did not provide clinical validation details, and it did not specify whether the content is reviewed by medical professionals.

Local language support and camera features

TECNO also said a key part of the rollout is local language recognition. The company said the system has been trained on local data to recognise Swahili and Sheng’, and to interpret code-switching—mixing local languages with English within the same sentence.

In addition, TECNO said its “Universal Tone” camera feature is intended to capture natural skin tones for people with darker complexions in varied lighting conditions such as markets and streets. The firm said the feature addresses a longstanding issue where camera software can misrepresent darker skin tones.

Why it matters for Kenya’s mobile and digital economy

Kenya’s digital economy is heavily mobile-led, with smartphones serving as the primary computing device for many consumers and micro-enterprises. Features that function without internet connectivity could appeal to users facing intermittent network coverage or seeking to reduce spending on data bundles, particularly in the informal sector where day-to-day cash management is critical.

The emphasis on SMS and payment message parsing also reflects how deeply mobile money is embedded in Kenyan commerce. If widely adopted, offline tools that structure transaction information could increase basic financial record-keeping among micro and small enterprises—an area often cited as a barrier to accessing formal credit.

Outlook

TECNO did not disclose pricing, device models supported, or a rollout timeline beyond the launch event. Market uptake is likely to depend on which handsets receive the features, how well the tools perform across Kenya’s languages and usage patterns, and user confidence around how sensitive SMS and payment information is handled on-device.

Safaricom Plc said its M-PESA Kadogo initiative—under which selected low-value transfers and payments are free—processed 17.1 billion zero-rated transactions in the 2025/2026 financial year, representing 58% of all activity on the mobile money platform. The company disclosed the figures following the announcement of its 2025/2026 financial results on May 7.

Under M-PESA Kadogo, person-to-person transfers of KES 100 and below and merchant payments of KES 200 and below are zero-rated, Safaricom said. The free transactions also include cash deposits at M-PESA agent outlets and airtime purchases through M-PESA, according to the company’s statement.

The latest disclosure provides a window into how Kenya’s biggest payments rail is increasingly being used for small, frequent transactions—an area that influences merchant acceptance, customer stickiness and the broader pace of digitising day-to-day commerce.

Safaricom said the decision to remove certain charges was initially made in the wake of the COVID-19 period, when charges on bank-to-M-PESA and transfers below KES 1,000 had been removed. “For the company, the effect of the removal of charges was a tripling in the number of transactions between 2020 and 2026,” Safaricom said.

Overall, Safaricom reported that M-PESA processed 46.4 billion transactions worth KES 41.7 trillion in the last financial year. The company said the volume and value of transactions underscore M-PESA’s central role in Kenya’s digital economy.

“With M-PESA Kadogo, our purpose is to make digital payments affordable for small-scale daily purchases and deepen financial inclusion. The removal of transaction fees has reduced friction and accelerated the usage of M-PESA across the country,” said Peter Ndegwa, Safaricom CEO.

Safaricom said mobile financial services revenue rose 13.4% to KES 182.7 billion, attributing the performance to “strong double-digit growth across consumer payments, business payments and global payments.” Consumer payments were the largest contributor at KES 74.5 billion, followed by business payments at KES 56.7 billion, according to the company.

The company also highlighted growth in Pochi la Biashara, a product it positions for small traders and informal businesses. Safaricom said the customer base increased from 600,000 users in the 2024 financial year to 1.1 million the following year, before doubling to 2.2 million in the last financial year. Revenue from the product rose from KES 800 million in 2024 to KES 2.2 billion the following year, reaching KES 4 billion in the last financial year, Safaricom reported. The company added that Pochi la Biashara customers can invest overnight balances in Ziidi MMF.

For Kenya’s payments market, the scale of zero-rated micro-transactions points to intensifying competition around affordability and everyday merchant payments, particularly for low-income users and micro and small enterprises. The growth in Pochi la Biashara, alongside the continued expansion of Lipa na M-PESA usage at lower ticket sizes, also signals rising demand for tools that separate personal and business funds and provide basic value-added services such as short-term investment.

Looking ahead, Safaricom’s disclosures suggest that transaction volumes may continue shifting toward higher-frequency, lower-value payments as pricing and product design push for deeper usage in daily commerce. The company is expected to provide further detail on M-PESA’s segment performance and product roll-outs in subsequent investor updates tied to the 2025/2026 results.

Spotify has launched “Spotify 20: Your Party of the Year(s),” a mobile-only in-app experience that gives eligible users in Kenya and Nigeria a personalised look back at their listening history on the streaming platform, the company said on May 14 in a statement issued in Nairobi.

The new feature is part of Spotify’s broader 20th anniversary campaign and is designed to surface individual listening milestones, including a user’s first day on Spotify, first streamed song, total number of unique songs listened to, and all-time most-streamed artist. It also generates an “All-Time Top Songs” playlist containing a user’s top 120 tracks alongside play counts, according to Spotify.

The rollout adds another data-driven product layer aimed at increasing time spent in the app and social sharing—an increasingly important lever for subscriber retention and ad-supported listening growth in Kenya’s competitive digital entertainment market.

Spotify said each data story in the experience ends with a share card, enabling users to save results and share them with friends or across social platforms. Users can access the feature by searching for “Spotify 20” or “Party of the Year(s)” within the Spotify mobile app or via spotify.com/20 on mobile, the company said.

“Spotify has always been about making listening personal. With Spotify 20, we’re giving fans in Nigeria and Kenya a chance to look back at the artists, songs and moments that have shaped their journey with us. It’s a celebration of discovery, nostalgia and the communities that form around music,” said Jocelyne Muhutu-Remy, Managing Director for Spotify in Africa, in the statement.

Context in Kenya’s streaming market

Kenya’s music and audio streaming market has grown alongside wider smartphone adoption, falling data costs relative to past years, and the rise of digital-first music distribution. Global platforms such as Spotify have sought to strengthen local relevance through curated playlists, African content licensing, and product features that encourage discovery and sharing.

While Spotify did not disclose Kenya-specific user numbers for the new feature, it positioned the rollout for Kenya and Nigeria as a way for listeners to revisit songs tied to “everyday moments, major milestones and cultural shifts,” according to the statement.

Global benchmarks and content economics

As part of the same anniversary campaign, Spotify also published global “all-time most-streamed” rankings. The top three most-streamed artists globally are Taylor Swift, Bad Bunny and Drake, Spotify said. Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti is the most-streamed album of all time on the platform, while The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” is the most-streamed song, followed by Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You,” according to Spotify.

Spotify added that The Joe Rogan Experience is the most-streamed podcast globally, while Sarah J. Maas’s A Court of Thorns and Roses is the most-streamed audiobook among Premium subscribers.

For Kenyan labels, artists and music marketers, such platform-wide rankings and anniversary campaigns typically influence listening behaviour through renewed playlisting and editorial surfacing, which can affect streaming volumes and royalty flows. However, the company did not provide payout figures or local revenue impacts in the statement.

Industry implications for Kenya

The “Spotify 20” feature underscores how streaming platforms are increasingly using personal analytics and shareable formats to drive organic growth. In Kenya, where competition for digital attention spans across music, short-form video and live social platforms, Spotify’s emphasis on personalised milestones may help keep users within its ecosystem and encourage peer-to-peer acquisition through sharing.

Spotify also said its editorial team has curated global playlists highlighting defining eras and cultural shifts over the past two decades, available within a Spotify 20 hub—an approach that can steer consumption patterns and affect which catalogues and genres gain momentum in the short term.

What comes next

Spotify did not outline expansion plans for “Spotify 20” beyond eligible users in Kenya and Nigeria. The company’s next milestones will likely track how widely the feature is adopted, how frequently users share the generated cards, and whether the experience translates into higher engagement for both ad-supported and paid tiers in Kenya’s streaming economy.

Smart Applications International Ltd (Smart) has launched Smart Detect AI, a claims intelligence platform the company says will help insurers and healthcare providers detect fraud, waste and abuse (FWA), reduce preventable claim rejections and improve the efficiency of healthcare claims management.

The Nairobi-headquartered health technology firm said the solution was unveiled on May 11, 2026, during the 5th Smart Summit held at Safari Park Hotel in Nairobi. Smart said the platform analyses claims before and after submission using machine learning, behavioural analytics and clinical logic.

The launch comes as healthcare payers and providers in Kenya and across the region continue to contend with rising claim volumes, disputed bills and administrative errors that can strain cash flow for hospitals and increase payout pressure for insurers. In its statement, Smart said fraud schemes are often embedded in “normal-looking claims,” making them difficult to detect using traditional rule-based systems.

Smart also linked a significant share of claim rejections to preventable quality issues such as incomplete documentation, incorrect coding and inconsistencies identified only after submission. The company said these issues affect revenue predictability for providers and add operational cost across the ecosystem.

For insurers, Smart said Smart Detect AI supports post-submission risk detection by identifying “unusual billing patterns, potential member-provider collusion, abnormal visit frequencies, clinical inconsistencies, and location anomalies.” Smart said this is intended to enable earlier detection of hidden risks and more targeted investigations, reducing financial leakage.

For healthcare providers, Smart said the tool supports pre-submission claim validation by flagging errors such as missing documentation, incorrect coding, benefit mismatches, unjustified procedures and incomplete clinical rationale. Smart said improving claim quality at the source can increase first-pass approvals, lower rejection rates and protect cash flow.

Unlike traditional tools that may assess claims in isolation, Smart said Smart Detect AI evaluates patterns across providers, patients and time to generate what it described as “more accurate, explainable and actionable intelligence.” The company said this approach is aimed at generating deeper insights into billing behaviour and patient journeys.

“Healthcare systems today process claims at scale, but critical risks often remain hidden. Smart Detect AI introduces a new level of intelligence that enables stakeholders to move from reactive to proactive claims intelligence — strengthening transparency, improving efficiency, and ultimately protecting the integrity of healthcare systems,” said Barbara Simiyu, Head of Data Analytics at Smart Applications International, speaking at the launch.

In the Kenyan context, claims quality and fraud detection tools have become a growing area for investment as insurers tighten controls and providers seek faster reimbursement cycles. Claims analytics also supports wider efforts to improve financial integrity in health systems, particularly as digital health records and electronic claims processing expand in both public and private healthcare.

For the regional health technology market, the launch underscores how local firms are increasingly applying artificial intelligence and analytics to operational problems traditionally managed through manual audits and rules engines. If adopted at scale, such platforms could shift how payers and providers prioritise investigations, monitor provider performance and manage utilisation trends.

Smart said the next phase will be deployment among stakeholders across Kenya and Africa, targeting both insurers and healthcare providers. The company did not disclose pricing, rollout timelines or current customer uptake in its statement.

Smart Applications International said it is an ISO-certified healthcare technology company headquartered in Nairobi, delivering digital health, biometric identity and analytics platforms across Africa, and working with governments, healthcare providers, insurers and development organisations.

Spotify has concluded a two-day recording and education programme in Nairobi, held in partnership with global music business firm ONErpm, aimed at supporting emerging artists from Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, according to a media statement dated May 4, 2026.

The workshop, run under Spotify’s Fresh Finds initiative, brought together a cross-section of artists, producers, mentors and songwriters for collaborative studio sessions and professional development. The participating artists named in the statement were We Are Nubia, Zaituni, Ila Nia, Kahuti, Genes1s, Hood Boyz, Phany Love, Vyroota and Hildah Watiri. Producers included SoFresh, Run, ODZZ and JAE5, while mentors were Watendawili and Joshua Baraka. Songwriters listed were Watendawili and Savannah.

The event forms part of Spotify’s wider strategy in Sub-Saharan Africa to identify and develop early-stage talent, as streaming platforms play a growing role in how music is distributed, monetised and marketed. For Kenya’s creative economy, such initiatives are increasingly tied to export potential, IP monetisation and the broader digital economy value chain, including studio services, live events and brand partnerships.

The organisers said the Nairobi sessions combined creative production with business training. According to the statement, the programme included “Creative Masterclasses” built around collaborative recording sessions, alongside media training focused on storytelling and brand positioning. The workshops also addressed commercial aspects of the music industry, including platform analytics and fan engagement strategies.

Victor Okpala, Fresh Finds Africa Lead for Spotify Sub-Saharan Africa, said the programme is designed to support artist development beyond distribution. He said Spotify’s focus is on “artists who can tell African stories in an African voice” and then be supported towards global audiences.

“At Spotify, our goal is to equip creators with the required toolkit that balances creative output with commercial intelligence. The focus remains on sustainable growth, ensuring that when Kenyan, Ugandan, and Tanzanian artists step onto the world stage, they do so with a solid professional foundation,” Okpala said.

Osagie Osarenkhoe, Director of A&R & Operations (Africa) at ONErpm, said the partnership aligned with ONErpm’s focus on emerging artists and pointed to rising global attention on music from the region.

“Supporting emerging artists is central to what ONErpm stands for, so partnering with Spotify on this edition of Fresh Finds was exactly the kind of initiative we believe in,” Osarenkhoe said. “What made this experience even more meaningful was seeing artists, producers and songwriters, come together to connect, create, learn from one another, and make incredible music.”

A notable component of the sessions, according to the statement, was guidance on Spotify’s editorial processes. Maxwell Nguku, Spotify Editorial Lead for East Africa, addressed concerns around playlist manipulation and said Spotify has “a strictly meritocratic foundation” for editorial decisions and “zero-tolerance” for pay-for-play practices. He cautioned that legitimate entities should not solicit payment in exchange for playlist placement, framing organic discovery as a priority.

For Kenya and the wider East African market, the emphasis on editorial integrity and platform literacy reflects a growing need for transparency as more independent artists rely on digital distribution. Industry observers have increasingly linked creator education—covering rights management, audience analytics and marketing—to stronger revenue outcomes for artists and the service providers that support them.

Joshua Baraka, who participated in the sessions, said the workshop offered practical insights beyond studio work, including how to build a brand for international markets. He also cited direct access to Spotify staff as significant for independent artists, according to the statement.

Looking ahead, Spotify said Fresh Finds is positioned as part of its ongoing discovery and development efforts in the region, while ONErpm pointed to its continued expansion across Africa. The companies did not disclose financial commitments or the timeline for the next East Africa edition of the workshop.

Spotify has published a recap of its “Feature Mixer” event held in Nairobi, where the audio streaming company showcased a set of in-app features to creators, cultural tastemakers and media personalities as part of an education-focused product engagement.

According to the statement distributed on behalf of Spotify by communications firm Irvine Partners, the Nairobi session used a “speed-dating” format in which guests rotated through six short demonstrations designed to explain what each feature does, why it matters and how to use it in the app.

The company said the event included demos of tools such as Jam, Personalization features and an “Offline Bundle” that it described as designed to address local data and network challenges. The evening also included live performances by Kenyan acts Vijana Barubaru and Zaituni, Spotify said.

The recap comes as global streaming platforms continue to compete for listener attention in Kenya’s fast-growing digital entertainment market, where mobile data costs and network reliability can shape product adoption and usage patterns. Feature sets that reduce data consumption and allow offline listening have become a key consideration for users and a potential lever for subscriber growth.

In the Nairobi session, “the evening’s core mechanic saw guests moved through six ‘feature dates’ in quick rotations,” Spotify said in the release. Each station was led by a “Feature Avatar” who ran a three-minute segment featuring a live demo and a teach-back moment, where guests explained the feature in their own words “to ensure a deep understanding of the product,” the company added.

Spotify outlined several features highlighted during the event, including Jam, which it said focused on shared queue control for group listening, and a DJ Bundle, which the company said explored how listeners can shape music journeys “in real time.” It also cited a Personalisation Bundle featuring daylist and Daily Mixes, Mixed Playlists that enable track transitions, and Collaborative Playlists aimed at shared curation.

Spotify said the “Offline Bundle addressed challenges like low-data usage and fluctuating network coverage,” positioning it as relevant to day-to-day connectivity constraints in the market.

The company also described a “match reveal” component, in which attendees received “personalised Top Feature Matches delivered via printed guide cards.” Spotify said the one-page guides were intended as take-home explainers to help participants replicate the steps and share “how-to” content with their audiences.

While Spotify did not disclose attendance figures, partnership announcements or investment details tied to the event, the Nairobi activation underscores how global consumer tech companies are increasingly using local creator ecosystems to drive product understanding and adoption. For Kenya’s digital media economy, such sessions can translate into more feature-led content creation, potentially influencing user discovery, playlisting behaviour and time spent on platforms.

Spotify said the event concluded with a DJ set blending Amapiano, Afrobeats and Gengetone, followed by “a surprise live performance from Vijana Barubaru and Zaituni.”

In the release, Spotify also shared global user figures, stating it has “713 million users, including 281 million Spotify Premium subscribers, in over 180 markets.” In a separate “Spotify in numbers” line, it cited “751 million monthly active users / 290 million subscription users” and availability in “over 184 markets,” without explaining the difference between the two sets of figures.

Spotify has not announced whether the Feature Mixer format will be repeated in other Kenyan cities or expanded across East Africa, but the company’s focus on offline and personalisation tools suggests continued emphasis on product localisation for markets where connectivity and affordability remain central to streaming usage.

Industry leaders, policymakers and technology stakeholders meeting at the 15th annual Connected Africa Summit in Nairobi have called for the removal of structural and regulatory frictions to unlock seamless connectivity across Africa, according to a statement issued on Tuesday.

The summit is being held at the Edge Convention Centre and is positioned as a forum for advancing Africa’s digital transformation agenda, with speakers arguing that progress will depend on stronger cross-border policy alignment and collaboration among governments and the private sector.

In remarks during a panel discussion, Safaricom CEO Peter Ndegwa said deeper cooperation between the public and private sectors is necessary to scale connectivity and digitise services across the continent.

“To unlock Africa's full potential, we must deepen collaboration between governments and the private sector. By working together, we can create enabling policies, invest in the right infrastructure and accelerate public sector digitisation in a way that is inclusive, scalable and impactful for millions of Africans,” Ndegwa said.

The call comes as East African economies accelerate investment in digital infrastructure and online public services, while grappling with fragmented regulations across borders that can raise the cost of rolling out regional platforms and services. Kenya, as a regional technology and financial services hub, has been central to these discussions, particularly around payments interoperability, data governance, licensing, and spectrum policy.

Safaricom said it used the summit to showcase capabilities of its “converged services” model, which brings together its Enterprise Business, Financial Services, Public Sector Digitisation & Transformation (PSDT), and Technology teams. The company said the structure is intended to support government-facing digital solutions that can be deployed at scale.

Deputy President of the Republic of Kenya Prof. Kithure Kindiki also urged greater use of public-private partnerships, adding that citizen participation should be part of digital transformation efforts.

“The public sector does not have a monopoly on resources. In order to achieve inclusion in the digital market, we must collaborate with the private sector and the citizens themselves,” Kindiki said.

For Kenya’s business landscape, the summit’s focus on harmonised policy and seamless connectivity has implications for telecoms, fintech, logistics, and cross-border trade, where consistent rules can lower compliance burdens and enable firms to expand digital services across multiple markets. Industry executives have repeatedly argued that uneven regulation can slow investment decisions and delay deployment of shared infrastructure.

Safaricom, which is listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange, said it serves more than 60 million customers across Kenya and Ethiopia. The company reported that its total economic value was estimated at KES 1.1 trillion (US$8.5 billion) for the 12 months to March 2025, and that annual revenues were close to KES 388 billion as at March 2025.

The operator also cited M-PESA’s role in financial inclusion, saying the mobile money platform helped lift financial inclusion in Kenya to 84.8% in 2024 from 26.7% in 2006, and generated more than KES 161 billion in revenue in FY25.

Safaricom said the summit continues into its third day on Wednesday, with speakers expected to push for renewed commitment and coordinated action on connectivity, policy alignment and a shared vision for Africa’s digital future.