Safaricom hosted the second instalment of the Safaricom Engineering Summit, a two-day extravaganza held under the vibrant theme of “Igniting Africa’s Digital Renaissance.” This summit serves as a dynamic platform, ingeniously tailored to empower the brilliant minds of Safaricom’s engineers, enabling them to flaunt their technical wizardry and establish connections within the thriving tech ecosystem.
This gathering of minds has summoned over 800 industry stakeholders in person, while thousands more have joined the ranks of virtual participants, creating a global digital chorus. Safaricom’s commitment to fostering innovation and nurturing digital talent in Kenya is well-documented, and this year’s summit is no exception. Initiatives such as 53 Safaricom campus tours, hackathons, and nationwide Innovation Weeks have fuelled this commitment, resulting in the graduation of a remarkable 617 individuals through the Industry Digital Talent Program – a testament to Safaricom’s unwavering dedication to nurturing local brilliance.
Peter Ndegwa, the visionary CEO of Safaricom, underscored the vital role that Kenya’s youthful population plays in the country’s digital journey. He emphasized Safaricom’s mission to empower the youth, allowing them to harness the full potential of the digital realm and reap its boundless rewards.
As the summit unfolded, Safaricom unveiled three game-changing platforms to elevate its services. The Safaricom Entertainment Hub emerged as a customer-centric content platform that seamlessly aggregates diverse content forms, spanning video, music, gaming, and education. It further simplifies access through a user-friendly payment gateway. The Safaricom Developer Portal, a web-based marvel, supports software developers with an arsenal of vital resources and tools, streamlining the development process while enhancing efficiency, code quality, and security. Meanwhile, the M-PESA Daraja API Gateway Developers Portal underwent a remarkable transformation, offering superior API billing and monetization capabilities, self-service ticketing for addressing API issues, and bolstered API documentation.
A standout moment of the summit came in the form of a remarkable demonstration of Digital Twin technology. This AI-powered marvel crafts lifelike digital replicas of individuals in both audio and video formats, endowed with the ability to respond to requests as if they were living, breathing entities.
The summit graced the presence of the esteemed Head of Public Service, Felix Koskei, who hailed Safaricom for its resolute commitment to supporting the Kenyan government’s digital vision. He expressed unwavering confidence in Safaricom’s and the broader tech community’s ability to aid the government in achieving its digital transformation aspirations.
The Safaricom Engineering Community stands as a testament to the company’s impressive strides, having witnessed substantial growth with over 5,000 members across Kenya in the past year. Safaricom’s forward-thinking plans include upscaling and certifying 1,400 members from various counties through the ‘Accelerate by Safaricom’ program. This year-long program equips participants with a diverse skill set, including Fintech, IoT, Robotic Process Automation, Cyber Security, Software Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Big Data, Analytics, and 5G.
Upon graduation, the cream of the crop, the top 200 students, will have the privilege of embarking on internship journeys within the hallowed halls of Safaricom. The remaining participants will find their place within the Industry Digital Talent Program, thus continuing to nurture and cultivate Kenya’s thriving tech industry.
