Looking back on a year of breakthroughs
From Cape to Cairo, 2025 brought breakthrough after breakthrough for Vodacom Group. As we transition into Vision 2030, here’s a look back at the milestones, firsts and transformative moments that shaped our year.
Milestones
- Vodacom Tanzania and Safaricom Kenya marked their 25th anniversaries
- Vodacom Group reached 211.3 million customers across markets and 87.7 million financial services customers
Firsts
- Secured a 5G licence in Egypt, extended existing licences, and delivered strong local currency revenue growth (+45%), with a successful commercial launch featuring brand ambassador Mo Salah
- Launched Africa’s first dual-band 5G radio, with the pilot call happening in South Africa
- Launched the world’s first commercial 50Gbps microwave link, in partnership with Huawei (Egypt)
- Rolled out a virtual wheeling platform to tackle power issues in South Africa
- Published company reports in braille in Lesotho to grow accessibility and inclusion of people living with disability
Culture moments
- Comprehensive sponsorship of the Springbok national rugby teams in South Africa
- Powered the Grand Egyptian Museum with an IoT-backed digital system
Strategic progress
- Successfully concluded the five-year strategy (Vision 2025), positioning Vodacom as a purpose-led, diversified digital and financial services leader. We now transition to Vision 2030, aiming for double-digit EBITDA growth and expanded service revenue beyond mobile (targeting 30% contribution vs. 21% today)
- Entered a partnership with Orange to roll out rural connectivity projects, including 2 000 solar-powered base stations in DRC
- Reached 10 million customers in Ethiopia
- Rolled out M-PESA Fintech 2.0 in Kenya
Transformation
- Launched One App in Tanzania, DRC and Lesotho, driving a unified digital experience and accelerating financial inclusion
- Carbon reduction: Achieved 67% reduction in Scope 1 & 2 GHG emissions and 100% reuse/recycling of network equipment
- Unveiled a data centre in Mozambique
- Launched a phone for the blind in South Africa: the Blindshell Classic 2, a button-based smartphone specifically designed for visually impaired users, features a tactile keypad, voice control and a synthetic voice
People
- HackFest Africa 2025: Our annual HackFest returned as a Vodafone Global innovation competition. The tech-focused contest culminated in an awards ceremony where Vodacom teams shone, walking away with top podium awards
- Disability inclusion: We championed digital inclusion through various initiatives, including a second Disability Inclusion agenda, reflecting an internal culture focus
- Doing What’s Right: For the first time, Group ESG and the Company Secretary joined forces to host a Purpose & Ethics Conference, an event open to all employees where internal experts and external guests debated the nuances of ethics and purpose in business. Panel discussions produced meaningful engagement around a shared commitment to purpose-driven businesses contributing to Africa’s development
Monumental progress
- Century City office reopened following devastating fires
- Move into new office in the DRC
- Progress in the Maziv deal following approvals by the Competition Tribunal
