Safaricom PLC and Sprite on April 11, 2026 hosted a “Hook’d on Fresh” content creation masterclass at Pwani University in Kilifi, bringing together more than 500 students for sessions on monetising content on platforms such as TikTok, Instagram and YouTube, according to a joint statement.

The event, held on Friday, focused on helping students move from casual posting to income-generating content through training on trend identification, audience growth, brand partnerships and building sustainable revenue streams. The programme also covered personal finance, including saving and investing early, and included guidance on data privacy, the organisers said.

The masterclass comes as more young Kenyans increasingly look to digital platforms for alternative income sources amid growing internet access and smartphone use. For Kenya’s business landscape, the shift is drawing attention from telecoms, brands and financial services providers that view youth creators as both customers and distribution channels, particularly as digital advertising and influencer marketing become more formalised.

Safaricom said the Pwani University stop is part of a broader “Hook’d on Fresh” university series that has previously been rolled out at Africa Nazarene University, the University of Eldoret and Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology.

“Content creation is already a big part of how young people express themselves. The next step is helping them turn that into something sustainable,” said Fawzia Ali-Kimanthi, Safaricom’s Chief Consumer Business Officer, in the statement.

Students attending the session said the training reframed content creation as a viable income pathway. “I’ve always had a smartphone and posted videos, but I didn’t know how to convert them to an income stream,” said Alfred Fondo, a Computer Science student at Pwani University. “Now I’m thinking differently. This can actually help me support myself.”

Alongside content skills, Safaricom’s wealth team used the session to encourage students to manage earnings and prioritise long-term financial stability, the organisers said, including learning about savings options such as Ziidi money market fund (MMF), which was referenced in the programme agenda.

Safaricom and Sprite also urged youth to participate in the “Hook’d on Fresh challenge” running from April 1, 2026 to April 30, 2026. The statement said creators will compete across nine reward levels, with cash prizes ranging from KES 3,000 at the entry level to KES 20,000 for top performers. The companies also said they will reward creators with “outstanding content” with smartphone devices and data bundles.

In market terms, programmes that combine creator training with financial literacy reflect a broader push by corporates to capture youth spend and engagement while positioning mobile connectivity, mobile money and digital services as enablers of new forms of work. For universities, such initiatives also signal growing demand for practical digital skills that complement academic training, as students seek income opportunities while still in school.

Safaricom is listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE: SCOM) and, in its corporate background in the statement, said it serves over 50 million customers and that its total economic value was estimated at KES 1.1 trillion (US$8.5 billion) for the 12 months through March 2025. The company also cited annual revenues of close to KES 388 billion as at March 2025, and said M-PESA generated over KES 161 billion in revenue in FY25.

Next, the organisers are expected to continue the campus series at additional institutions while the April challenge runs to month-end, with winners to be selected across the stated reward tiers.

Safaricom Plc on March 31, 2026 opened its three-day Safaricom Engineering Summit—Decode 4.0—in Nairobi, positioning the event as a convening platform for developers, innovators and technology firms as Kenya pushes for broader digital growth.

The summit is being held in partnership with Microsoft, Google, Dell Technologies and Huawei, according to a statement issued by Safaricom. The company said the event is themed Made for Kenya and is designed to bring together local and global technology stakeholders to discuss and build solutions linked to Kenya’s digital economy.

Safaricom said more than 100,000 people are expected to participate both physically and virtually over the three days, an indication of sustained interest in developer communities and industry-led skills initiatives as competition for digital talent intensifies across East Africa.

The event comes at a time when Kenyan businesses are increasing their adoption of cloud services, data-driven products and digital payments, while government agencies continue to promote digitisation of services. For telecoms and technology providers, developer ecosystems are increasingly viewed as a route to create new products, strengthen platform usage and expand enterprise partnerships.

Speaking at the opening, Safaricom Chief Executive Officer Peter Ndegwa said the company sees the summit as a practical space for building scalable solutions. “The Kenyan people are known for their ingenuity, grit and hassle- constantly pushing boundaries and experimenting. Decode gives that energy a place to come alive. By bringing developers, creators, and problem-solvers together, we are creating solutions that can scale across Africa and beyond,” Mr Ndegwa said.

Safaricom said Decode 4.0 includes builder labs, code labs and mentorship programmes aimed at hands-on learning and capacity building. The company added that sessions are aligned to “key growth areas including Artificial Intelligence, Fintech and Creative Tech,” which it described as drivers of Kenya’s next phase of economic transformation.

Beyond the Nairobi summit, Safaricom said it plans to extend Decode through year-round activities, including regional engagements dubbed Decode Cafés, additional code labs and mentorship programmes targeting developers and educators. The company said participants will earn certificates and digital badges as part of skills validation.

In an “About Safaricom” section attached to the statement, the company said it serves more than 60 million customers across Kenya and Ethiopia and estimated its total economic value at KES 1.1 trillion (US$8.5 billion) for the 12 months through March 2025. Safaricom also said it had annual revenues of close to KES 388 billion as at March 2025 and that its 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G network coverage reaches over 99% of Kenya’s population.

The company attributed part of Kenya’s financial inclusion gains to M-PESA, saying the platform empowers 37.9 million customers and helped drive financial inclusion to 84.8% of the adult population in 2024, from 26.7% in 2006. Safaricom said M-PESA generated over KES 161 billion in revenue as at FY25.

Industry analysts have increasingly linked telecom-led developer programmes to broader efforts to grow local software capacity, reduce reliance on imported technology solutions and accelerate innovation in payments, lending, digital identity and creative industries. Partnerships with global technology firms at events such as Decode may also shape enterprise cloud and data strategies for Kenyan corporates, alongside the expansion of AI-enabled products.

Safaricom did not disclose the summit’s budget or any commercial agreements linked to the event, but said Decode will be supported by ongoing community engagements and training initiatives in the months ahead.

Google has expanded its Search Live feature globally, making it available in all languages and locations where its AI Mode is available, the company said on Thursday in a statement distributed to media. The expansion enables users in more than 200 countries and territories to hold real-time conversations with Search in AI Mode using both voice and camera.

The rollout is linked to the launch of Gemini 3.1 Flash Live, which Google described as a new voice and audio model designed to support multilingual, real-time interactions. Google also said it is expanding Google Translate’s “live interpreter headphone experience” to iOS devices—where it was previously available on Android—and to more countries.

The changes matter for Kenya and other African markets where Google products are widely used for consumer search, mobile-first information access and business discovery. Real-time, voice-led search and camera-assisted queries could shape how consumers research products and services, while broader live translation support may affect cross-border travel, customer service and multilingual commerce in a region with diverse languages.

In its overview of the announcement, Google said: “Search Live has launched globally, for all languages and locations where AI Mode is available.” The company added that “people in more than 200 countries & territories can have real-time conversations with Search in AI Mode, using both voice and camera.”

Google also introduced the underlying model it says enables the rollout. “Introducing Gemini 3.1 Flash Live, Google’s latest voice and audio model,” the company said, adding that the model is “inherently multilingual” and supports the global expansion of Search Live.

According to the statement, Gemini 3.1 Flash Live will be available through multiple channels: developers can access it via the Gemini Live API in AI Studio in preview, enterprises can use it through Gemini Enterprise for Customer Experience, and consumers can use it through Search Live and Gemini Live globally.

For Kenyan developers and technology firms building voice-driven applications, Google’s decision to make a “Live API” available in preview could lower the barrier to prototyping conversational interfaces for sectors such as fintech support, retail, health and logistics. For enterprises, the inclusion of the model in customer experience tools indicates increased competition among cloud and AI providers targeting contact centres and customer engagement workflows across Africa.

The iOS expansion of Google Translate’s live interpreter headphone experience may also be relevant in markets with high iPhone usage in business settings and among international travellers. If rolled out locally, the feature could support meetings, hospitality and other service industries that rely on rapid, accurate interpretation.

Google did not provide rollout timelines for specific countries beyond stating the global availability parameters tied to AI Mode, nor did it disclose pricing for developer or enterprise access. The company directed readers to product blog posts and a press kit for additional details.

Next, the pace of adoption in Kenya is likely to depend on AI Mode availability, user awareness, data costs and enterprise readiness to integrate live voice and translation tools into customer-facing operations. Developers will also watch for changes as the Gemini Live API moves from preview to broader release.

Spotify has begun rolling out a new beta feature dubbed SongDNA to Premium users globally, aiming to show the creative links behind individual tracks by surfacing credits and related works directly in the mobile app’s Now Playing view.

In a media statement dated March 24 and issued from Nairobi, Spotify said SongDNA is built into the Now Playing screen on iOS and Android. The company said the feature is available on “supported tracks” and will become broadly available to all Premium users “throughout April.”

According to Spotify, users can tap a SongDNA card to explore a track’s writers, producers and collaborators, alongside samples and interpolations that influenced the song and covers it later inspired. The company said the card is designed to let listeners follow those links further—tapping through creators and their other collaborations—to see how artists and genres connect over time.

The launch adds to a growing set of in-app context tools music platforms are using to drive engagement. For Kenya’s fast-growing streaming audience and creator economy—where discovery and attribution are increasingly tied to monetisation—features that make credits and rights ownership more visible can influence how creators build followings and how audiences understand who is behind a hit.

Spotify said the information powering SongDNA “is powered by a combination of information we receive from artists and their teams, supplemented by community-sourced data.” As the company tests the experience, it said eligible artist and label teams can “review and manage the components of SongDNA” through Spotify for Artists.

“SongDNA is designed to make a song’s creative lineage more transparent so fans can easily explore the people and influences behind the music they love,” Jacqueline Ankner, Spotify’s Head of Songwriter & Publisher Partnerships, said in the statement. “By bringing collaborators, samples, and covers together in one place, we’re making it easier for fans to discover new music and see how songs connect and come to life—while giving songwriters, producers, and rightsholders meaningful recognition for the role they play in creating it.”

Spotify positioned SongDNA as complementary to its existing “About the Song” beta feature, which provides track-specific context. While About the Song focuses on a single track’s story, Spotify said SongDNA is intended to enable exploration across related works and contributor networks.

For the Kenyan and wider East African market, the rollout underscores how streaming platforms are competing not only on catalogue size and pricing but also on product features that deepen listening time and improve the visibility of behind-the-scenes contributors. More prominent attribution could also support local songwriters, producers and engineers seeking recognition across borders—especially where credits have historically been inconsistent across digital services.

Spotify included updated user metrics in its statement, saying it has 626 million monthly active users and 246 million Premium subscribers globally, and that it operates in more than 180 markets.

The company said SongDNA is rolling out in beta to Premium users globally on iOS and Android, with broader availability planned during April.

Safaricom Plc, through its youth platform Safaricom Hook, has partnered with The Coca-Cola Company’s Sprite brand to host a Hook’d on Fresh Masterclass Series session at the University of Eldoret, with the companies saying the programme trained more than 300 youths on content creation, monetisation and financial literacy.

In a press release dated March 20, 2026, Safaricom (NSE: SCOM) said the Eldoret session followed an earlier stop at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) last week, which it said marked the first event in the series. The company said the university tour is intended to build digital skills among young Kenyans and expose students to opportunities in the technology and digital economy.

The Eldoret training featured what Safaricom described as industry mentors, including musician Collo Blue and dance creator Tileh Pacbro, who the company said shared practical insights with participants.

Student participants linked the training to broader use of digital platforms in academics. “I am happy that Safaricom and Sprite have brought this masterclass to our University today. I have learned that in addition to entertainment, platforms, like Safaricom Hook are also useful in studies and research, because of the affordable Internet bundles,” said Norman Kipkurgat, a second-year student at University of Eldoret, according to the statement.

Safaricom said the programme also included messaging on savings and financial habits. “The Hook’d on Fresh campaign is a digital influencer hosted creator program designed to equip Kenyan creators with the skills, tools and inspiration they need to thrive in the digital content economy. Today, we've also have been speaking to the youth about the importance of adopting a saving culture early, educating them on the diverse opportunities in tech and digital space,” said Fawzia Ali, Chief Consumer Business Officer, Safaricom.

Beyond the campus sessions, the companies have launched a Hook’d on Fresh user-generated content (UGC) challenge that Safaricom said will run nationwide and be hosted on TikTok and Instagram. The statement said participants will post short-form videos across music, sports, fashion and comedy using the hashtags #Hook’donfresh and #SafaricomHook, while tagging Sprite Kenya and the Safaricom Hook page.

Safaricom said the competition will use a tiered rewards system, with 403 digital creators expected to win across nine levels. Cash prizes range from KES 3,000 to KES 20,000, alongside non-cash rewards including smartphones and data bundles, with monthly winner selection, according to the press release.

The initiative lands as Kenyan telcos and consumer brands increasingly use creator-led training and competitions to capture youth attention and drive usage of digital platforms, including content and fintech services. Safaricom’s focus on financial literacy and savings tools alongside creator training reflects a broader market push to deepen engagement among younger customers as digital income opportunities and mobile-first financial services expand.

Safaricom said the Hook’d on Fresh Masterclass Series will continue touring universities across the country, and that the sessions will include exposure to products such as Ziidi Invest and Save. The company did not provide a full tour schedule or the total budget for the programme, but indicated the UGC challenge will award prizes monthly as the campus activations continue.

Safaricom Plc and Indonesia’s Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison (IOH) have signed a partnership to collaborate on artificial intelligence (AI) use cases spanning customer experience, digital financial services and network investment planning, the companies said in a joint statement issued on March 17, 2026 in Barcelona.

Under the agreement, the two telcos said they will work on “advanced AI-driven decisioning” to support more proactive customer engagement, including predictive care to detect and resolve network issues before customers are affected, more relevant product recommendations for prepaid users, and conversational AI tools for customer support.

The partnership also includes collaboration around mobile money and broader digital financial services. IOH said it will draw on Safaricom’s operational experience in mobile financial services—built around M-PESA—to strengthen “resilience, security, and personalization” of digital financial journeys, including AI-powered fraud and risk management and improving payment reliability during peak periods.

The announcement comes as telecom operators increasingly deploy AI to manage network complexity, improve service quality and protect digital payments from fraud. For Kenya, where mobile money infrastructure is deeply embedded in everyday commerce, AI-driven fraud detection and reliability initiatives are closely watched by banks, merchants and regulators seeking to reduce losses and maintain customer trust in digital transactions.

In addition to customer and fintech-related initiatives, the companies said they will explore AI-led insights to improve how IOH plans and invests in its network. The statement referenced “CNX-based Smart CAPEX” and the use of AI to make capital expenditure decisions more demand-driven, with a focus on “high-growth and underserved areas.” No financial terms of the partnership were disclosed, and no monetary figures were provided to convert into Kenyan shillings.

Vikram Sinha, President Director and Chief Executive Officer of Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison, said the collaboration is intended to translate strategy into deployable outcomes. “This partnership with Safaricom is about moving from aspiration to action,” Sinha said. He added that the companies are focused on “delivering innovations that customers can genuinely feel from smarter networks and safer digital transactions to more personal and intuitive experiences,” according to the statement.

Peter Ndegwa, Chief Executive Officer of Safaricom PLC, said the partnership brings together the firms’ respective strengths. “Our partnership with Indosat is built on our respective strengths, their bold AI‑native transformation and our deep experience in building Africa’s most trusted digital and financial ecosystem,” Ndegwa said. He added that the collaboration aims to support “smarter networks and safer transactions” and contribute to “inclusive digital economies,” according to the statement.

Industry-wide, the initiative signals growing cross-market collaboration between operators seeking to industrialise AI across core telecom functions—customer care, network operations and digital financial services—rather than limit AI deployments to pilots. In Kenya and the wider East African market, the emphasis on fraud and risk management reflects sustained pressure on mobile money providers to strengthen controls as transaction volumes grow and fraud techniques evolve.

The companies also said they will collaborate on talent and leadership development to support AI transformation. Planned initiatives include building “AI-fluent executives,” developing “Business–AI Translator roles,” and enabling cross-organisational learning and short-term secondments to speed up skills transfer.

Next steps and timelines for specific deployments were not provided. The firms said the partnership will focus on practical use cases, suggesting pilots and phased rollouts may follow as the parties identify areas where AI tools can be implemented across customer operations, digital finance and network planning.

Unilever and Google Cloud on February 18, 2026 announced a five-year partnership aimed at accelerating Unilever’s use of artificial intelligence by moving key data and enterprise applications onto Google Cloud, in a deal the companies said will reshape how the consumer goods group conducts marketing, brand discovery and internal workflows.

The companies said the partnership will see Unilever migrate its integrated data and cloud platform to Google Cloud to create an “enterprise-wide, AI-first digital backbone” and support “agentic workflows”—systems designed to execute complex tasks across business processes. The announcement was issued in a media release distributed in Kenya.

Unilever said the collaboration will use Google Cloud technologies including Vertex AI, its enterprise AI platform, to build new capabilities in brand discovery, measurement and AI-augmented marketing for brands such as Dove, Vaseline and Hellmann’s. According to the media release, the initiative responds to consumer journeys shifting “toward more conversational and agentic experiences,” including conversational shopping.

The partnership matters for Kenya’s business landscape because it signals continued acceleration of cloud migration and enterprise AI adoption among multinational fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies operating in the region. While the media release did not provide country-level investment figures or deployment timelines for East Africa, the decision to route core data platforms to a hyperscale cloud provider is likely to influence how suppliers, agencies and retail partners integrate data, measure campaigns and manage demand forecasting across African markets where Unilever sells its products.

“Technology has moved to the core of value creation at Unilever,” said Willem Uijen, Chief Supply Chain and Operations Officer at Unilever. “As brands are increasingly discovered and chosen in environments shaped by AI, we must lead this shift. This collaboration with Google Cloud sets a new level in how technology can power commerce and growth in the fast-moving consumer goods industry, ensuring Unilever is agile, fit for the future, and equipped to unlock value at every level of the company.”

Tara Brady, President, EMEA at Google Cloud, said the partnership will include deployment of Google’s AI models, including Gemini, alongside modernization work. “In partnering with Unilever as it boldly reimagines its business processes, we are not just modernizing legacy systems; we are deploying our advanced models, such as Gemini, to create a system of intelligence that reasons, learns, and acts,” Brady said. “This will set a new standard for agility and consumer engagement in the CPG sector.”

According to the media release, the collaboration will be structured around three pillars: agentic commerce and marketing intelligence; an integrated data and cloud foundation; and advanced AI. Under the integrated foundation pillar, Unilever will “transition key enterprise applications and data platforms to Google Cloud,” creating what the companies described as a connected environment for scalable AI deployment across the value chain.

For the Kenyan and wider East African market, the move highlights a growing expectation that marketing performance, consumer insights and demand planning will increasingly be driven by centralized, cloud-based data architectures and AI tooling. As global consumer goods groups standardize data platforms, regional teams and local partners may face pressure to improve data quality, interoperability and compliance, while also developing skills in AI-enabled marketing measurement and automation.

Unilever reported sales of €50.5 billion in 2025, equivalent to about KES 7.1 trillion (€50.5 billion) at an assumed exchange rate of KES 140 per euro. The company said it operates in more than 190 countries with 96,000 employees, and that its products are used by 3.7 billion people daily, according to the media release.

Next steps and milestones, including the pace of application migrations and rollout of agentic workflows, were not detailed in the statement. However, the companies indicated the partnership is designed to fast-track adoption of AI across Unilever’s operations and marketing as consumer discovery and shopping continue shifting toward AI-mediated channels.