Midrand: TECHz – News Desk
Vodacom Group has launched its FY2026 Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Reporting Suite, detailing the Group’s performance across its three purpose pillars: empowering people, protecting the planet, and maintaining trust.
The report covers the financial year ended 31 March 2026 and spans Vodacom’s operations across South Africa, Egypt, Tanzania, the DRC, Mozambique and Lesotho, with selected metrics reflecting the Group’s 34.9% stake in Safaricom Kenya.
Scale & Reach
Vodacom’s mobile networks covered 595.8 million people in FY2026, serving 237.3 million customers including Safaricom. The Group added 26 million customers during the year, more than double its original target of 10 million, prompting a revised Vision 2030 customer ambition of 275 million.
Financial services remained a core driver of inclusion. The Group reached 103 million financial services customers, of which 92.1 million used financial inclusion products and services including payments, savings, insurance and lending. Mobile money transactions processed through M-Pesa, VodaPay and Vodafone Cash platforms totalled US$525.6 billion across the reporting period.
Country-Level Impact
Beyond Group-level figures, the report highlights targeted country outcomes. In Egypt, digital healthcare solutions served 13.5 million people across 632 facilities, building on partnerships with government ministries to digitalise the national health insurance system. In Tanzania, 299,420 active M-Koba digital savings groups supported financial resilience, with total savings growing 81% year-on-year. In South Africa and Kenya, 99.4 million farmer e-vouchers have been issued since 2021 through Vodacom’s AgriTech platforms. In the DRC, four million customers accessed micro-overdraft services through M-Pesa Rallonge, developed in partnership with Access Bank.
Education access also expanded, with 4.0 million beneficiaries reached through the Group’s e-learning platforms and school connectivity programmes, up from 3.0 million in FY2025.
Environmental Commitments
On climate, Vodacom reported that all operating companies maintained their ISO 50001 energy management certifications and matched 100% of grid electricity purchased with electricity from renewable sources through power purchase agreements and renewable energy certificates. Energy intensity improved to 0.27 megawatt-hours per terabyte of data, a 20% reduction on the prior year. The Group reported a 79% decrease in scope 1 and 2 market-based greenhouse gas emissions from its FY2020 baseline.
The Group also supported customers in avoiding 3.6 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent through a range of Internet of Things solutions, a 35% increase on FY2025.
