The partnership will cultivate local technology ecosystems, catalyze startups, and engage developer communities.
Kigali, 26/10/2022… Safaricom (NSE: SCOM) has today announced a strategic partnership with Arm (E3)NGAGE to support the growth of the IoT Developer ecosystem and accelerate IoT Development and testing in Kenya, using Arm-based technologies.
The collaboration will expand on the growing network of Arm (E3)NGAGE ecosystem labs across the African continent and amplify the key activities in local Communities of Practice centred on education and engagement of students, developers, and embedded system engineers.
The partnership will also lead to showcase events that celebrate local IoT solutions in live working environments, inspire customer confidence and unlock rapid innovation that amplify economic opportunities.
“We are undergoing a transformation with the goal of becoming a purpose-led technology company offering more solutions including IoT, 5G, and Cloud. This partnership will enable our country to strengthen its position in the global digital space by building a vibrant device ecosystem. By setting up IoT labs in partnership with Arm (E3)NGAGE, we can support the development of technology solutions that drive business and operational efficiencies for our customers,” said Peter Ndegwa, Safaricom CEO.
Arm Limited is a semiconductor and software design company based in Cambridge, UK. Currently, more than 80% IoT devices in Kenya are running on Arm IP. Through the Arm (E3)NGAGE platform, the company aims to increase adoption of Arm based technologies across developer ecosystems on the African continent.
The partnership will also focus on the provision of developer ecosystem training tools, events, workshops and ecosystem challenges that address key Sustainable Development Goals within the region.
Arm (E3)NGAGE will support ecosystem engagement activities with devices, tools, and resources. They will also provide knowledge resources for engineers who are interested in System on Chip (SoC) and the general device ecosystem.
“We are glad to be embark on this ecosystem partnership with Safaricom Plc as we join forces to strengthen the technology ecosystem in Kenya. Arm (E3)NGAGE is currently running ecosystem engagement and training initiatives across the continent. Through this collaboration, we believe that we can accelerate the development of local developer ecosystems and support the actualization on local solutions, built on Arm” said Stephen Ozoigbo, Senior Director, Emerging economies at Arm.
About Safaricom
Safaricom is the leading telecommunication company in East Africa. Our purpose is to transform lives by connecting people to people, people to opportunities, and people to information. We keep over 41 million customers connected and play a critical role in society, supporting over one million jobs both directly and indirectly while our total economic value was estimated at KES 362 Billion ($ 3.2 billion) for the 12 months through March 2021.
Listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange and with annual revenues of close to KES 264 Billion ($2.9 billion) as of March 2021. Safaricom provides connectivity through a wide range of technology, 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G in aggregate covering over 99% of Kenya’s population.
We run the world’s largest mobile payment system and Africa’s largest Fintech, M-PESA, the world’s first mobile money transfer system. By empowering over 28 million customers to transact, save or borrow money through their mobile phones, M-PESA has driven financial inclusion in Kenya to more than 82% of the adult population from a low of 25% and generated over KES 82.65 Billion ($826 million) in revenue as at FY21.
Our subsidiary, Safaricom Telecommunications Ethiopia, plans to deploy a world-class network and services, by mid-2022, to contribute to Ethiopia’s digital transformation.
Safaricom is an equal opportunity employer, actively recruiting staff from different backgrounds reflecting the communities that we serve. We are committed to equal gender representation at all levels. Our target is to achieve 50:50 senior management gender parity by 2025.
As part of our ongoing commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), we continue to work towards improving energy and resource efficiency in our network and facilities to reduce carbon emissions and fuel consumption. We remain committed to becoming a Net Zero carbon-emitting company by 2050.
About Arm
Arm technology is defining the future of computing. Our energy-efficient processor designs and software platforms have enabled advanced computing in more than 230 billion chips and our technologies securely power products from the sensor to the smartphone and the supercomputer. Together with 1,000+ technology partners, we are enabling artificial intelligence to work everywhere, and in cybersecurity, we are delivering the foundation for trust in the digital world – from chip to cloud. The future is being built on Arm.
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