“I was paired with a mentor that I consider a perfect match as they have gone a long way in providing the support I required to obtain the goals I set out to achieve, both on a personal and career level. The biggest gain has been an increased responsibility in terms of my portfolio at work. On a personal level, I have achieved some set goals through mentoring by addressing the ‘why’, by giving me new perspectives on the rationale and methods behind what I’m doing.”
— Cohort 1 Mentee, Josephine Ithau

In the second quarter of the year, we kicked off our first corporate mentoring program in Kenya in partnership with Safaricom who have invested in mentoring as one of the tools they are using to empower women in the workplace, and strengthen their leadership pipeline.

We recently reconnected with the Safaricom Mentorship Program Cohort 1 participants to keep momentum and motivation high as they move forward in their structured mentoring relationships. The meet up was a chance for the mentors and mentees to share their challenges and experiences in terms of working towards goals and managing their time, as well as to support their peers, share their learnings and successes. Safaricom’s Mary Mutonga of the Talent and Capability Management Team supported with the facilitation of the session leading a discussion on how the group could showcase the impact of the mentorship program and the culture of mentoring within Safaricom, and sharing the significance of a mentor as one of the key people that every individual needs within their life.

Research by the Africa CEO Forum shows that in Africa, only 29 percent of senior roles are held by women. Ironically, global statistics have shown that when women sit on the decision-making tables, businesses enjoy increased profits, 20 percent higher than industry averages. It’s no wonder that there is an increased call to include more women in decision making positions to drive increased diversity and inclusivity within the corporate sector.

“Imagine if you have a team and you don’t let half of the team play. That makes no sense. Evidence shows that communities that give their daughters the same opportunities as their sons, they are more peaceful, they are more prosperous, they develop faster, they are more likely to succeed.”
Barack Obama, Former U.S President

As a market leader, Safaricom is yet again setting precedence through this program as it not only intends to nurture human capital through its “100% human” objective but also further drive its gender representation agenda with a vision to have 50:50 gender representation in senior leadership by the 2020.

As we get ready to recruit the second cohort of mentees for the 6-month structured mentoring program, we invited women who are part of Safaricom’s Future Leaders group, to a Mentoring Awareness Session which was held in early December in Nairobi, Kenya at the Safaricom HQ.

Addressing the participants as she opened the Mentoring Awareness Session, Safaricom’s Tabitha Kioko, a member of the Talent and Capability Management Team driving this program encouraged the future leaders to view mentoring as an avenue for their professional and personal development stating; “Mentorship is a key aspect for growth. You’re not just developing for Safaricom but to prosper as an individual taking your journey to greatness.”

Keep it here for more news as we unveil the future leaders who will take part in this pilot mentoring program and its impact in developing human capital as well as empowering women in the workplace.