Hej,
Victoria from Techpoint here,
Here’s what I’ve got for you today:
- Vodacom takes more control of Safaricom
- Airtel brings satellite-to-phone to Africa
- Algeria tells Meta to block unlinked WhatsApp accounts
Vodacom takes more control of Safaricom
Vodacom is making its growing influence over Safaricom a lot more visible. On August 13, 2026, Safaricom appointed two senior Vodacom Group executives — Mariam Cassim, Vodacom’s fintech CEO, and Matimba Mbungela, its chief human resources officer — as non-executive directors. At the same time, two existing directors, James Ludlow of Vodafone Group and John Kipngetich Mosonik, stepped down. The appointments are subject to regulatory approval, but once they take effect, Vodacom’s representation on the Safaricom board rises to five directors.
This is basically the boardroom consequence of Vodacom becoming Safaricom’s majority shareholder. The South African group now owns 55% of Safaricom, while the Kenyan government’s stake has fallen from 35% to 20%. Under the new shareholder arrangements, Vodacom gets five board seats, while the government gets two. In other words, the ownership numbers are now being reflected in who gets a say in how Safaricom is run.
Interestingly, Safaricom is one of Kenya’s most important businesses, with M-Pesa sitting at the centre of the country’s digital payments economy. Vodacom’s increased control also gives it greater influence over Safaricom’s leadership, including the process for choosing the CEO and chairman under the new shareholder agreement. For Vodacom, this means it can now have much more direct input into the strategy of a business it has been closely associated with for years.
The road to this started in December 2025, when Vodacom announced its plan to buy an additional 20% of Safaricom — 15% from the Kenyan government and 5% from Vodafone Group — for about $2.1 billion. The transaction was eventually completed in 2026, taking Vodacom from a 35% stake to majority ownership. The government still retains 20%, so it hasn’t disappeared from the picture, but it has given up one board seat as part of the new structure. Vodafone, meanwhile, has completely exited its direct ownership and therefore lost its board representation.
What’s particularly interesting about the latest appointments is the expertise Vodacom is bringing into Safaricom’s boardroom. Cassim runs Vodacom’s fintech business, while Mbungela has led its HR function since 2014. That makes sense for a Safaricom that is increasingly more than a mobile network; it’s a fintech, digital services and infrastructure business too. So this isn’t simply Vodacom putting more people on the board; it is starting to shape the leadership around the areas it sees as important for Safaricom’s next phase.
Airtel brings satellite-to-phone to Africa
On August 14, 2026, Airtel Africa and SpaceX’s Starlink commercially launched a satellite-to-mobile service in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), making it the first commercial deployment of the technology on the continent. Compatible Android phones can connect directly to Starlink satellites when Airtel’s terrestrial network isn’t available. For now, users can send SMS and use selected lightweight apps, including WhatsApp.
The really interesting part is that you don’t need a Starlink dish or special satellite phone. The idea is to use Starlink satellites as an extension of Airtel’s mobile network, so when you leave an area covered by a cell tower, your regular phone can connect to a satellite overhead. It won’t replace normal mobile broadband yet — the first phase is limited to messaging and selected low-bandwidth services — but it could be a big deal for people in remote communities where building towers is expensive or simply impractical.
And DRC is a pretty interesting place to start. The country is enormous, with vast rural and hard-to-reach areas where traditional telecom infrastructure struggles to keep up. Satellite-to-phone technology could help Airtel reach some of those places without having to build a physical tower for every community. That’s why this matters beyond the novelty of “WhatsApp from space”: it could give telecom operators another way to close Africa’s connectivity gap, particularly in places where geography makes traditional infrastructure difficult.
The launch also has a bit of history behind it. In December 2025, Airtel Africa announced its partnership with SpaceX to bring Starlink’s direct-to-cell technology to all 14 of Airtel Africa’s markets, initially targeting messaging and selected data services in 2026. The DRC is now the first of those markets to move from plans and testing into commercial service. Airtel and Starlink had also been testing the technology in Kenya before this launch.
There’s still a long way to go, though. Airtel says it plans to expand the service across its 14 African markets, subject to regulatory approvals. And the technology currently isn’t a replacement for 4G or 5G; think of it more as a safety net for places where the normal network disappears. Still, this could be one of those moments where the boundary between telecoms and satellite internet starts getting blurry. A few years ago, Starlink entered Africa as a satellite broadband provider requiring dedicated equipment; now its satellites can potentially talk directly to the phone in your pocket.
Algeria tells Meta to block unlinked WhatsApp accounts
Algeria wants WhatsApp to ensure you can’t simply have a WhatsApp account without a local Algerian phone number attached to it. On August 14, 2026, the country’s Ministry of Post and Telecommunications asked Meta to ensure every active WhatsApp account in Algeria remains linked to a valid, documented number registered with an Algerian telecom operator. The request comes as WhatsApp rolls out usernames, which allow people to communicate without exposing their phone numbers. Algeria isn’t against the privacy feature itself; it just doesn’t want the number behind an account to disappear from the regulator’s view.
That distinction is important. Under WhatsApp’s new username system, someone can essentially share a username instead of handing out their phone number. Algeria says that is fine as an additional privacy layer, but it wants Meta to ensure the account is still tied to a verified local number in the background. It has also asked Meta for written confirmation that this is happening, as well as a plan and timeline for making any necessary technical changes. The government says the goal is to improve digital trust and accountability and help tackle fraud, identity theft and cybercrime.
If you’re wondering how this impacts you, this is another example of governments trying to balance online privacy with digital accountability. WhatsApp usernames are designed to give users more privacy by letting them communicate without revealing their numbers, but regulators worry that making users less identifiable could also make it harder to trace scammers and other bad actors. Algeria isn’t alone in thinking about this. India became the first country to formally ask Meta to temporarily suspend the username feature in July 2026, according to Connecting Africa.
Here’s a backstory: WhatsApp began rolling out usernames in July 2026, with Algeria among the first countries included in the rollout alongside countries such as Ghana, Libya, Azerbaijan, and Nepal. The feature is expected to expand more widely afterwards. WhatsApp has been moving towards giving users more control over how they identify themselves on the platform, but Algeria’s position shows that governments may not be willing to let that privacy layer completely replace traditional telecom-based identification.
And there is already a regulatory foundation for this approach in Algeria. In February 2026, the country’s telecom regulator adopted rules setting out how mobile subscribers should be identified, while a separate January decision addressed subscriber identification for electronic communications services. So the WhatsApp request is really an extension of a broader principle: if you’re using a communications service in Algeria, the government wants to know that there’s a verified person behind the account. The interesting question now is whether Meta will adapt WhatsApp’s username system for Algeria and whether other African countries will follow with similar demands.
In case you missed them
- Why African creators earn less and how platforms really decide what they get paid
- This Nigerian innovator built a bookkeeping tool for traders, in the language they actually speak
- CBN’s second sandbox cohort quietly opens a testing ground for permission-based data sharing
What I’m watching
- Where Gen Z Go Wrong With Finding Meaning
- How to Process Your Feelings and Emotions with Dr. Becky
Opportunities
- Flutterwave is hiring for several roles. Apply here.
- Moniepoint is hiring for over 100 roles. Apply here.
- Follow Techpoint Africa’s WhatsApp channel to stay on top of the latest trends and news in the African tech space here.
Have a productive week!
Victoria Fakiya for Techpoint Africa
