Vodacom Group CEO Shameel Joosub concluded a high-level working visit to Lesotho on Wednesday, seeking to strengthen the long-standing alliance between Vodacom and the country.
Mr. Joosub met with Prime Minister Sam Matekane and his team to emphasise Vodacom’s dedication to investing in Lesotho’s developing digital economy.
Vodacom’s role in furthering Lesotho’s national digitisation agenda
Vodacom’s crucial role in furthering Lesotho’s national digitisation agenda was central to the strategic discussions.
In detail, Mr. Joosub described the company’s wide-ranging initiatives to create a strong digital ecosystem. These include addressing the pressing issue of youth unemployment through targeted empowerment and enabling smooth e-payment systems that speed up financial inclusion.
A key component of this approach is the historic partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to introduce the Digital Skills Hub, a ground-breaking program that offers essential digital and technology training to young people in Lesotho at no cost to participants.
Vodacom’s international operations, which include Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Mozambique, and Lesotho, reported a 2.3 per cent increase in service revenue to R7.4 billion and normalised growth of 5.7 per cent in its Q1 2025 fiscal performance.
Tanzania outperformed DRC with exceptional local currency results, while the latter produced robust single-digit growth in US dollars.
Vodacom Group’s ambitious Vision 2030 strategy
During his visit to Lesotho, Mr. Joosub also held a lively town hall meeting with the Vodacom Lesotho team.
He spoke passionately about the Group’s ambitious Vision 2030 strategy to build a more sustainable and inclusive society.
The company’s Vision 2030 strategy calls for a 30 per cent contribution from non-mobile services by 2030 and intends to accelerate service revenue growth to double digits by 2028.
Vodacom continues to support its growth goals by focusing on digital inclusion through programs like expanding coverage in rural areas and providing affordable smartphone financing.
The company wants to connect an additional 100 million Africans to the digital economy. It currently serves over 210 million customers, including Safaricom.
Three pillars support this vision: empowering people, safeguarding the environment, and establishing a future-proof business through deep trust, unmatched client loyalty, and technological innovation.
This entails solidifying Vodacom’s dominance in the connectivity market, expanding cutting-edge services beyond mobile, and enhancing financial inclusion via its top-notch digital payment systems.
Thanks to its emphasis on financial services, data-driven products, and calculated investments, the business is well-positioned to maintain its momentum.
Vodacom continues to be a key player in expanding financial and digital inclusion throughout Africa as it works toward its Vision 2030 objectives.