A holistic approach to address the barriers preventing Kenyan women from using mobile internet

In Kenya, affordability of mobile-internet enabled handsets, lack of knowledge and digital skills and relevance of content are the three main barriers preventing women from using mobile internet. To address those barriers, Safaricom, in partnership with Google, launched Maisha Ni Digital (“Life Is Digital”), a holistic campaign to drive adoption and use of mobile internet. In 2019, the campaign introduced the most affordable 4G handset in Kenya for less than US$40, operating on Android Go, combined with customer support (both face-to-face and in-print), simplified internet activation, and relevant content and use cases.

This case study assesses the impact of the Maisha Ni Digital campaign on women’s adoption and use of mobile internet as well as the commercial benefits for Safaricom. It also provides key lessons learned and practical recommendations for mobile operators and other stakeholders committed to reaching more women with internet-enabled devices. The study used a mixed-methods research design, reaching out to more than 650 Safaricom customers, either via a phone survey or qualitative interviews.