TechTrends Media

07/10/2025

For fourteen years, Safaricom has done something few corporations attempt with consistency — it has turned sustainability reporting into a form of national self-reflection. What began as an internal accounting exercise has evolved into a benchmark for Kenyan business, influencing how companies measure value, disclose impact, and confront uncomfortable truths about growth.

This year’s report marks a deeper shift. It’s less about checklists and more about systems — how technology, governance, and inclusion are merging into the country’s economic DNA. Safaricom’s 14-year journey shows that sustainability, when embedded early and treated as strategy rather than obligation, can move markets and mindsets alike.

Read the full analysis here:
https://techtrendske.co.ke/2025/10/07/safaricom-sustainability-journey-impact/

Safaricom PLC

07/10/2025

For years, saving for retirement has been something many Kenyans delay or avoid altogether. It often feels distant, abstract, and out of reach. Yet Sanlam Kenya’s new Akiba Plus platform brings a small but significant shift to that picture.

It makes saving for later life simple, digital, and flexible — starting from just 500 shillings a month. It gives individuals the chance to build a pension in their own way, at their own pace. This reflects a wider change in how younger and mid-career workers think about financial independence, long before the traditional retirement age.

The launch of Akiba Plus marks a moment worth noting in Kenya’s financial landscape. It connects trust with innovation, showing that planning for the future does not have to be complicated or out of reach.

Read the full story here to see how digital tools are reshaping personal finance in Kenya:

https://techtrendske.co.ke/2025/10/07/sanlam-kenya-akiba-plus-digital-retirement/

07/10/2025

Safaricom’s latest sustainability report lands with a staggering number: a trillion shillings in real impact. That figure, sixteen times the company’s annual profit, reframes what corporate success looks like in Kenya’s digital economy. It’s not just about revenue lines or subscriber counts, but the tangible ripple effect of technology meeting purpose — from farmers on Digifarm to the growing forest cover in Kakamega.

This 14th edition of the Sustainable Business Report captures a company measuring its legacy in changed lives, not only in balance sheets. The story beneath the numbers is one of accountability, innovation, and the difficult work of proving that profit and principle can coexist.

Read the full breakdown and see how Safaricom’s trillion-shilling impact is reshaping the meaning of growth in the region:

https://techtrendske.co.ke/2025/10/07/safaricom-trillion-shilling-impact-2025-sustainability-report/

Safaricom PLC

07/10/2025

From the Michael Joseph Centre, Safaricom unpacks how its drive for innovation is aligning with long-term sustainability goals — a deeper look through the 2025 Sustainable Business Report.

Safaricom PLC

03/10/2025

Africa keeps debating “de-dollarisation” like it’s a diplomatic strategy — but on the ground, it’s already a street-level decision.

People don’t care about currency theory. They care about:
- How to get paid on time
- How to send money home without losing 8% in fees
- How to store value in a currency that won’t evaporate overnight

If banks and regulators don’t move fast, local-currency stablecoins won’t be a government-led innovation — they’ll be a user-led rebellion. Digital dollars are already winning by default, one freelancer, one merchant, one remittance at a time.

The real question now isn’t if Africa shifts away from the dollar — it’s who will control the rails when it happens.

Would you hold your savings in a digital shilling / naira / rand if it meant lower costs and instant transfers — even if it didn’t come from a bank?

Everyone agrees the dollar is a problem — they just don’t agree on who gets to replace it.

03/10/2025

Itel may have just pulled off the biggest upset in the budget phone league.

A curved AMOLED display, Gorilla Glass 7i, 144Hz refresh rate, IP65 protection, 6000mAh battery and AI features like Circle-to-Search and camera object eraser… all packed into a device that’s supposed to be “entry-level.”

At this point, the S26 Ultra isn’t competing — it’s trespassing in flagship territory.

Would you actually buy one, or is this just spec-sheet theatre?

The itel S26 Ultra has been recognized as the No.1 Recommended Curved Display Phone Under $175 at the TechTrends AI Forum, held in Nairobi.

03/10/2025

Nairobi just broke ground on a $150M data fortress. Cape Town is racing to harden its cloud infrastructure. Logic says Africa’s digital future will be decided in its biggest tech capitals.

But look closer — the fastest moves are happening off the map.

Botswana is building a hyperscale campus in Palapye powered by solar and gas. Nigeria’s Cross River is planning a Tier IV facility beside a waterfall. These aren’t side stories — they might be the real race.

If you’re tracking where the next AI and cloud boom lands in Africa, don’t just watch the cities with the headlines. Watch the ones building their own power grids.

In the race to host the world’s most demanding machines, power is now the real currency, and Botswana and Nigeria are spending it boldly.

03/10/2025

Most network upgrades happen quietly at night and stay there. This one didn’t.

MTN managed to overhaul a key part of its 5G core while millions of South Africans were actively using it — no downtime, no panic, just a silent network handover in plain daylight.

Engineers will argue about the technical significance, but the social impact is clearer: whoever controls stable, low-lag networks controls the direction of digital life in this country. Not through slogans, but through architecture.

The next question is whether rivals match it — or explain why they can’t.

Africa has never lacked ambition around 5G, only proof that the backbone could keep up with the marketing — MTN may have just provided the first real test case

03/10/2025

The final moments of the TechTrends AI Forum in Nairobi didn’t feel like a typical awards wrap-up. There were no grand theatrics or self-congratulation — just a quiet but powerful acknowledgment of where African technology is really going.

Instead of rewarding the loudest claims or the flashiest prototypes, the spotlight fell on builders focused on the fundamentals: tools people can afford, systems people can trust and policies that make sense outside boardrooms. Ethical AI, durable mobile design and clear governance weren’t treated as separate conversations — they were recognised as inseparable parts of the same story.

Full breakdown of the winners and why their work matters now more than ever:

Rather than celebrating disruption for disruption’s sake, the awards highlighted those building quietly — making AI usable, technology durable and governance understandable.

03/10/2025

AI in Kenya isn’t just about fancy demos. It’s about who actually gets to use it.

At the TechTrends AI Forum in Nairobi, one thing stood out:

People were not just listening. They were asking questions, debating and pushing back.

Speakers from Samsung, Sama, iTel and Ai Kenya all agreed on one thing. AI adoption in Africa should not be limited to people with big budgets or big titles.

The final panel summed it up well:

“AI is not real progress if only people in boardrooms can use it. It should also reach someone in rural Kenya.”

Rather than celebrate AI as magic, the speakers dissected its flaws, risks and blind spots — and then rebuilt it with intention.

02/10/2025

One of the most grounded and impactful sessions at the came from the itel Kenya team — led by Ryan and Daniel Kamande.

Instead of talking about “AI disruption” from a boardroom level, they brought it back to reality.

Ryan shared how his purpose wasn’t found in chasing high-end smartphone launches — but in a moment on a road trip in Bondo, when a driver told him he couldn’t even afford a basic device.

That was the shift.

Daniel followed it up with practical proof of what inclusion looks like in action:

- AI Battery Saver Mode — lets users stretch limited power access

- Bypass Charging — so content creators can record while charging without damaging the battery

- AI-ready smartphones under $100

> “AI won’t create change through cloud demos — it will create change when someone in rural Kenya can access it on a device they actually own.”

itel isn’t just selling phones. They’re building on-ramps into the digital world — for the millions who are usually left out of the conversation.

That’s real innovation.

02/10/2025

Panel Recap: AI Transformation, Access & Inclusion in Kenya

One of the standout highlights of the event was our live podcast-style panel discussion, hosted by Kanali Nixon (Founder, TechTrends Media) and featuring powerful voices in Kenya’s AI and technology ecosystem:

Annepeace Alwala – Vice President, Global Service Delivery at Sama

Ryan Mule – Product Manager, Samsung Electronics East Africa

Alfred Ongere – CEO, Ai Kenya

Key Takeaways from the Conversation:

- AI adoption is no longer a question of “Should we?” — it’s becoming “Why aren’t you?”

Businesses that delay adopting AI risk being left behind, not by hype — but by efficiency.

- Infrastructure is not just data centers — it’s access.

From cloud tools to $50 smartphones in Sudan, Ryan reminded us that AI already fits in your pocket. Connectivity and affordability are now as critical as compute.

- Mindset is the biggest barrier.

Many SMEs fear AI will replace people, when in reality, it empowers them. Upskilling and AI literacy are now essential workflows, not side projects.

- Africa’s AI opportunity lies in context and culture.

Alfred emphasized that African businesses should not only use AI — they should help shape it. That means contributing local data, stories, and languages into AI systems.

- Inclusion must be intentional.

Annepeace reminded us that AI must work for everyone — not just the well-connected. Ethical data, diverse representation, and human-centered deployment are non-negotiables.

Closing Thought:

“AI will not replace people — but people who use AI will replace those who don’t.”

— Panel Consensus

This discussion was more than a technical deep dive, it was a call to build responsibly, adopt boldly, and ensure no one is left behind in the AI revolution.