Safaricom paves the way to a tech-driven future for Kenya’s youth
Software developers in Kenya can now come up with secure and better-quality applications by tapping into various resources in the newly launched Safaricom Developer Portal.
The web-based platform serves as a central hub for software developers, offering essential resources and tools to streamline the development process while improving their efficiency and productivity.
Safaricom Developer Portal
According to the telco giant, Safaricom Developer Portal provides a user-friendly and responsive interface that helps enhance the overall developer experience.
Safaricom Developer Portal is one of the three latest offerings from the company unveiled during the second annual engineering summit dubbed Decode 2.0. The other new platforms are Entertainment Hub and the new-look M-PESA Daraja API.
“By combining the power of tech and purpose, we intend to tap into the ability and skill set of the youth, supporting them to take full advantage of the digital space and gain immensely from it,” said Safaricom CEO Peter Ndegwa.
The new-look M-PESA Daraja API Gateway Developers Portal has a hybrid cloud architecture with superior API Billing and Monetization capabilities, self-service ticketing for API issues, and revamped API documentation.
According to Safaricom, the revamp offers customers a better developer experience. This move will yield faster completion of customer and partner-initiated transactions.
Safaricom Entertainment Hub
The Safaricom Entertainment Hub serves as a customer Content Platform bringing together various Safaricom offerings such as video, music, gaming, education, and more. This hub provides a one-stop destination with a user-friendly payment gateway for accessing a wide array of content.
During the two-day forum attended by over 800 in-person industry stakeholders and others online, Safaricom also showcased Digital Twin, an AI-powered technology that generates a lifelike digital replica of a human in the form of audio or video, that is able to respond to fresh requests just like a human would.
Among the notable initiatives within the summit are over 53 Safaricom campus tours, hackathons, and innovation Weeks held across the country. These efforts have resulted in 617 individuals graduating through the Industry Digital Talent Program.
The summit, whose Chief Guest was the Head of Public Service, Felix Koskei sought to showcase the advances made to meet the needs of the Kenyan and African tech industry as it navigates the challenges and opportunities posed by AI, Machine Learning, and Fintech.
“I am now confident that I can ask Safaricom and all you techies to help Decode the government of Kenya. As you know, the government has created a comprehensive digital agenda to transform the country’s economy and society through technology,” noted Mr Koskei.
Read also: The making of an eco-friendlier tech industry
Safaricom Engineering Community
The summit treated participants to a showcase of the country and Safaricom’s engineering practices and products, especially in Fintech, such as the Safaricom AWS Deep Racer experience, Virtual Reality experiences and games, and other innovations from partners and sponsors.
“Through initiatives like Safaricom Decode, we will continue to empower the community to showcase their exceptional skills and exchange knowledge on best practices, so that we can cement our place as a technology hub,” noted Mr Ndegwa.
The Safaricom Engineering Community has grown to over 5,000 members across Kenya in the last year. The firm plans to upscale and certify 1,400 members across various counties in a one-year program dubbed ‘Accelerate by Safaricom’ where they will be taught various skill sets such as Fintech, IoT, Robotic Process Automation, Cyber Security, Software Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Big Data, Analytics and 5G.
Upon graduation, the top 200 students will be offered internship at Safaricom while the rest will be placed in the Industry Digital Talent Program.
