Safaricom (NSE: SCOM) has committed KES 22 million to serve as the title sponsor of the 2026 Connected Africa Summit, scheduled for next week in Nairobi, according to a company press release dated April 23, 2026.

The summit brings together policymakers, regulators and private-sector players to discuss Africa’s digital transformation, at a time when governments are ramping up programmes to modernise public services and expand digital access.

Safaricom Chief Executive Officer Peter Ndegwa said the next phase of digitalisation requires solutions that can operate reliably at national scale. “Africa’s digital journey is at a point where it is no longer about what is possible, but what can work at scale. There has been strong progress in digitisation, but the focus now is on making systems work in a consistent and practical way,” Ndegwa said.

He added that public-sector digitisation increasingly depends on implementation partners who can deliver end-to-end systems. “Governments need partners who can deliver integrated, secure, and practical solutions that improve how citizens experience services every day. That means building solutions that are connected, secure, and designed around how people use services,” Ndegwa said.

Safaricom said it has supported the Connected Africa Summit since its inception in 2009, positioning its involvement as part of long-running public-private collaboration on regional ICT priorities. “We have supported the summit since its inception in 2009 and in that journey, we have seen firsthand how collaboration across government, industry, and partners has shaped the region’s digital agenda,” Ndegwa said.

The company linked those collaborations to outcomes such as connectivity build-out and growth in digital infrastructure. “Together, we have contributed to key milestones, from infrastructure expansion to the growth of the digital superhighway. These are not just policy wins. They are foundations for a functioning digital economy,” he said.

The announcement comes as Kenya and several African governments push forward digital public service delivery—covering identity systems, payments, citizen service portals and sector-specific platforms—raising demand for secure connectivity, interoperable systems and resilience in critical infrastructure. For Kenya’s business landscape, the summit is typically a forum where public procurement priorities, technology standards and partnerships are discussed, shaping opportunities for telecoms operators, fintechs, systems integrators and cloud and cybersecurity providers.

In the press release’s background section, Safaricom said it serves more than 60 million customers across Kenya and Ethiopia and reported annual revenues of close to KES 388 billion as at March 2025. The company also cited an estimated total economic value of KES 1.1 trillion (US$8.5 billion) for the 12 months through March 2025, and said its network coverage spans more than 99% of Kenya’s population across 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G in aggregate.

Safaricom further said M-PESA generated over KES 161 billion in revenue in FY25 and cited an adult financial inclusion rate of 84.8% in 2024, up from 26.7% in 2006, attributing the figures to its mobile money platform’s role in enabling transactions, savings and credit through mobile phones.

Looking ahead, the title sponsorship places Safaricom at the centre of a high-profile policy and industry meeting that may influence regional priorities on digital infrastructure, government services and cybersecurity. The company did not provide additional breakdowns of how the KES 22 million will be spent, but said the funds are intended to support the success of the conference.