A company-wide push to embed artificial intelligence literacy across all roles is shaping how one of Kenya’s largest telecom operators is preparing its workforce for a future defined by automation, predictive systems and personalised customer experiences.
Safaricom has confirmed that all employees completed an AI 101 training programme, marking a shift from treating artificial intelligence as a specialist function to positioning it as a core capability required across the organisation.
The move reflects a deliberate strategy to align internal skills with emerging operational demands, where AI is expected to influence decision-making, customer engagement and product development across multiple business units.
By equipping staff with foundational knowledge, the company is building a shared understanding of how machine learning, automation tools and agentic systems will integrate into everyday workflows.
“All our staff, 100 per cent of them, managed to take up AI 101 to have the basic knowledge around AI,” said Maureen Njuguna, Business Transformation Lead at Safaricom.
She noted that the objective was to create a common baseline that allows teams across technical and non-technical functions to engage with AI-driven tools and processes more effectively.
The training was delivered through Safaricom’s internal 2+1 learning programme, which combines structured modules with practical exposure to technology applications.
Beyond introductory training, the company has expanded learning through mentorship sessions, collaborative communities and hands-on experimentation environments designed to translate theory into workplace application.
About 600 employees have already participated in six-month mentorship cycles aimed at deepening applied knowledge and accelerating adoption of AI-enabled tools.
This internal capability build aligns with a wider strategic direction in which artificial intelligence is expected to play a central role in Safaricom’s operating model.
Recent initiatives such as migration of M-PESA infrastructure to cloud-based platforms, partnerships around AI-ready data systems and integration of predictive analytics into services point to a broader transition toward data-driven operations.
The emphasis on workforce readiness also reflects a recognition that technology adoption depends on organisational capacity as much as infrastructure investment.
Embedding AI literacy across all roles allows the company to scale new tools more efficiently, reduce friction in adoption and create consistency in how systems are used across departments.
Safaricom’s approach also extends beyond internal operations, with the company linking its AI agenda to digital skills development across the wider economy.
Through partnerships with technology firms, training institutions and education programmes, it is supporting initiatives aimed at expanding access to digital and AI-related competencies among students, early-career professionals and entrepreneurs.
This dual focus on internal capability and external talent development signals a longer-term strategy aimed at positioning artificial intelligence as a foundational layer within both the company’s operations and the markets it serves.
As automation and intelligent systems become more embedded in telecom and financial services, workforce-wide training offers a pathway to align human capital with the pace and direction of technological change.
