NAIROBI — Safaricom says it will invest more than $500 million over the next three years to expand artificial intelligence infrastructure and accelerate digital transformation across its operations, according to Tech In Africa.
The investment is part of a broader innovation strategy the telecom operator unveiled for 2026, which also includes continued expansion of M-Pesa services and support for Kenya’s wider startup ecosystem, according to a separate Tech In Africa report on the strategy.
Safaricom’s push builds on the November 2025 launch of Daraja 3.0, a cloud-native API platform that allows developers across East Africa to build and host services directly within the M-Pesa Super App, according to the company’s own reporting.
The company has also been investing directly in the startup ecosystem, including through new funding ventures aimed at Kenyan tech firms, according to Empower Africa.
Kenya remains the top-ranked startup ecosystem in Eastern Africa and 61st globally in StartupBlink’s 2026 index, with fintech, healthtech, agritech and climate tech among the most active sectors.
