Safaricom, East Africa’s leading telecommunications company, has unveiled an ambitious plan to invest $500 million over the next three years to develop artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure across the region. The announcement, made by Cynthia Kropac, Chief Enterprise Business Officer (CEBO), during a keynote address at the Connected Africa Summit 2025 in Diani, Kwale County, Kenya, underscores Africa’s potential to carve out its own path in the ever-busy global AI space.

Speaking at the Diamonds Leisure Beach & Golf Resort, Kropac delivered a compelling vision titled “Building The Rails For AI: Laying the Foundations for Africa’s Intelligent Economy”. She emphasised that Africa must move beyond being a passive consumer of AI technologies developed in the West and Asia, instead creating systems that reflect the continent’s unique languages, data, and socio-economic realities.

“Africa has an opportunity to define its own AI destiny,” Kropac declared, highlighting the need for tailored infrastructure and inclusive policies to drive the continent’s intelligent economy.

The Connected Africa Summit 2025, hosted by Kenya’s Ministry of Information, Communications, and the Digital Economy in partnership with the ICT Authority of Kenya, has drawn over 2,000 delegates, including government officials, business leaders, academics, and development sector representatives. The summit serves as a platform to discuss unified ICT policies and digital inclusion, with Safaricom’s announcement marking a pivotal moment in Africa’s technological evolution.

Kropac outlined that Safaricom’s $500 million investment will focus on empowering local developers and enterprises to create AI-driven solutions for critical sectors such as agriculture, healthcare, and financial services.

“We have already trained over 5,000 employees in AI fundamentals because the intelligent economy is not just coming to Africa; we are building it,” she said.

The investment will support initiatives like AI integration in Safaricom’s existing platforms, including M-PESA and Digifarm, which are already leveraging AI to enhance financial inclusion and agricultural productivity.

A key component of Safaricom’s strategy is fostering collaboration across the continent to harmonise data and digital laws, creating a robust and scalable AI ecosystem. Kropac stressed the importance of unified policies to remove outdated barriers and enable seamless digital infrastructure.

“Just as mobile technology leapfrogged landlines in Africa, AI will redefine our future, driving solutions for challenges like multilingual education, climate-smart agriculture, and mobile health diagnostics,” she said.

Safaricom’s commitment extends beyond infrastructure to ensuring access to affordable technology. In partnership with the Kenyan government and other mobile network operators, the company has launched the East Africa Device Assembly of Kenya, which produces over 1.5 million 4G-enabled devices annually, priced under $50. These devices aim to accelerate digital access for both households and businesses, bridging the connectivity gap for the over 400 million Africans who remain offline.

The announcement aligns with broader regional efforts to position Africa as a global player in AI innovation. Earlier in April 2025, 52 African nations signed the Africa Declaration on AI at the Global AI Summit in Kigali, Rwanda, committing to a $60 billion fund to advance AI development across the continent. While significant, this investment pales in comparison to global counterparts like China’s $1.4 trillion and the United States’ $500 billion private-sector-led AI initiatives, highlighting the need for Africa to scale up its efforts.

Safaricom’s partnership with iXAfrica Data Centres, announced on May 14, 2025, further bolsters its AI ambitions. The collaboration has launched East Africa’s first AI-ready data centre, a critical step toward establishing Kenya as a digital and innovation hub.

Guy Willner, Chairman of iXAfrica, described the partnership as a catalyst for “a digital ecosystem that will accelerate innovation and growth across the region.” With Safaricom’s 49 million subscribers and leadership in mobile and fintech services through M-PESA, the project is poised to scale AI adoption significantly.

Kropac’s address also called for a cultural shift, urging Africa to build AI that reflects its values and priorities.

“As Africa builds its social and economic future, we must build AI that reflects our values, cultures, and priorities. The question is not whether the world is ready; the real question is, are we ready to write Africa’s AI story?” She challenged the audience.