KENYA – The Board of Safaricom Plc has announced the appointment of investment banker Mr. John Ngumi as a director and Chairman of the Board with effect from 1st August 2022.

The telco said the appointment is subject to regulatory approval.

Mr Ngumi takes over from Safaricom first CEO Michael Joseph who is set to retire.

John Ngumi is the immediate former Chairman of Kenya Pipeline Corporation Board and has chaired the Board of Konza Technopolis Development Authority.  He served as an inaugural director on the Board of Communications Commission of Kenya, now Communications Authority of Kenya, a regulator that oversaw the creation of Kenya’s present telecommunications landscape.

“Mr. Ngumi currently serves as Board Chair at the Industrial & Commercial Development Corporation (ICDC), which is leading the effort to implement the Kenya Transport & Logistics Network, encompassing Kenya Ports Authority, Kenya Pipeline Company Limited and Kenya Railways Corporation. He also serves on the board of Kenya Airways PLC,” read a notice from Safaricom to shareholder.

Mr. Ngumi started his banking career at National Westminister Bank, London and has worked for various institutions including Grindlays Bank, Citibank, Barclays Bank and Standard Bank of South Africa establishing himself as East Africa’s foremost corporate and investment banker.

John describes himself as a gregarious; enormously self-confident person possessed of copious amounts of drive, determination, energy and will to win.

Mr. Ngumi holds a degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from St. Peter’s College, Oxford University, United Kingdom.

This comes at time that Safaricom has been making a lot of changes to its management. The majority of its chief executive members have since left the company.

These changes have been notable ever since the telco got a new CEO, following the passing of former CEO Bob Collymore.

Safaricom partners Kodris Africa

Meanwhile, Safaricom has partnered with education technologies firm Kodris Africa to promote the study of coding in the country by allowing the purchase of lessons on the M-PESA app.

Customers can now be able to purchase tokens that will provide a year’s worth of coding lessons through the M-PESA platform and then activate them on a tablet, laptop, or desktop computer for their children to start learning how to programme computers.

Kodris Africa is the provider of Kenya’s first-ever government-approved programme for teaching coding which is now the most demanded skill in the world.

The programme is classified as curriculum support material at KICD but is also applicable to students in all other modern education systems.

The Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development approved a programme for teaching coding which is now in the roll-out stages in the country.

Some 150 public primary and secondary schools have started piloting the coding syllabus. It is classified as curriculum support material at KICD, but is also applicable to students in all other modern education systems.

The programme is accredited internationally by Pearson and is online-based, meaning parents can choose to purchase licences for their children.

The programme is online based and individuals can choose to purchase licenses so that students who have access to computers and the Internet at home can access the programme.

Through this collaboration, Safaricom will provide more than 30 million M-PESA customers with access to learning solutions using the Kodris Mini App, which can be accessed via the M-PESA Super App.

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