Safaricom Lipa mdogo mdogo device sales hit 1.2 million
Customers queue outside a Safaricom shop on Kimathi Street, Nairobi in this picture taken on April 7, 2022.
What you need to know:
- The service has lifted the number of 4G devices registered on Safaricom’s network.
- At the end of March last year, the service had 900,000 cumulative customers.
Safaricom’s smartphone device financing plan dubbed Lipa mdogo mdogo has hit 1.2 million sales , mirroring big demand for internet connectivity among the targeted low-income customer groups.
The service modelled on the buy-now-pay-later model is a financing partnership between the telco; Meta, Google, and M-Kopa Solar which allows consumers to own smartphone devices with affordable instalments of as low as Sh20 daily.
The service, which was launched in July 2020, has lifted the number of 4G devices registered on Safaricom’s network as of the end of March 2024.
“Our contribution enabled the acquisition of over 1.2 million smart devices through the Lipa mdogo mdogo financing partnership with Meta, Google, and M-Kopa Solar,” Safaricom states in its 2024 sustainability report.
During the year to March 31, Safaricom added five new devices to the service along with improving the financing infrastructure to enhance user experience and expand access.
The Lipa mdogo mdogo payments were automated during the review period while new devices including Neon Smarta and Ultra were introduced.
At the end of March last year, the service had 900,000 cumulative customers and had loaned out approximately Sh6.5 billion.
Meta supports the initiative by tailoring affordable data packages targeted at uptakes of affordably financed devices.
Safaricom has launched various internet campaigns to complement the device financing plan since its launch.
The number of smartphones connected to Safaricom’s network has grown to 22.9 million as of the end of March from a lower 16.7 million in March 2021.
4G-enabled smartphones on the network have meanwhile grown to 17.3 million devices from 8.5 million devices over the same review period.
The price of devices on the programme ranges from Sh10,000 to Sh27,000 and requires an initial deposit of between Sh5,000 and Sh5,000 with daily instalments set at between Sh20 and Sh80.
Customers qualifying for the service must be using a 2G or 3G smartphone and must not be negatively listed with credit reference bureaus for pending loans. A person must also have been a Safaricom customer for at least one year.
