Safaricom is Investing Over $500 Million in AI Infrastructure Across East Africa
Safaricom is making a bold move into artificial intelligence (AI), with Chief Enterprise Business Officer (CEBO) Cynthia Kropac announcing that the telco is making approximately $500 million investment in AI infrastructure across East Africa over the next three years.
Speaking at the Connected Africa Summit 2025 in Diani, Kropac emphasised Africa’s unique position to shape its own AI trajectory, highlighting the need to build foundational infrastructure and inclusive policies tailored to the continent’s needs.
“Africa has an opportunity to define its own AI destiny,” said Kropac during her keynote address titled “Building The Rails For AI: Laying the Foundations for Africa’s Intelligent Economy.”
She noted that while global AI development has largely been concentrated in the West and parts of Asia, Africa must now move beyond being a passive consumer of AI technologies. Instead, the continent can develop systems that reflect its own languages, data, and social-economic realities.
”We must harmonise our data and digital laws across the continent to build a robust and scalable AI ecosystem. The private sector must also build relevant solutions. Just as mobile leapfrogged landlines, AI will redefine Africa’s future, driving solutions for African challenges like multilingual education, climate-smart agriculture, and mobile health diagnostics.’’ she said.
Kropac emphasised the need for Africa to build its own AI frameworks and shift from being passive consumers to active creators and stewards of the continent’s digital future.
‘’Safaricom is investing $500 million over the next few years in AI infrastructure across East Africa. We’ve already trained over 5,000 employees in AI fundamentals because the intelligent economy isn’t just coming to Africa, we are building it,’’ she said.
The $500 million investment, Kropac said, will go into empowering local developers and enterprises to build AI solutions for sectors such as agriculture, healthcare, and financial services.
‘’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 said.
The Connected Africa Summit 2025 is being hosted at the Diamonds Leisure Beach & Golf Resort in Diani. The annual summit has brought together over 2,000 delegates from across Africa, including leaders in government, business, academia, and development sectors. It’s being hosted by the Ministry of Information, Communications, and the Digital Economy, in partnership with the ICT Authority of Kenya.
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