Safaricom is known to launch various products that end up being a big hit in the market and this time round, BLAZE is the newest of the product which targets the youths of between 10- 26 years of age. The youth empowerment platform kicked off recently but has got so many people including the youth confused on what exactly is its mandate. This is unfortunate because this is the age group for which the platform is made. The product has been dubbed ‘Be Your Own Boss’ and is aimed at giving the youth a platform to showcase their talents as well as empower them with knowledge and understanding to maintain and use these talents to succeed in life.
The initial understanding majority of people had was that Safaricom BLAZE was just another tariff like Ongea. Of course that’s what they made everyone understand. I personally like the idea because with BLAZE, you have full control of your finances by just using your mobile phone. It also gives you the freedom to choose how much you want to spend over a given period of time and whether to renew or unsubscribe to your subscription.
But that’s not the case. On Thursday 23rd June, the Bloggers Association of Kenya held an event at The Nailab to create awareness about the product and strive to clear out the confusion. The event whose theme was “Move over Millennial, Here Comes Kenya’s Generation Z” saw four panelists; Marion Wanyoike – Senior Manager(Youth Segments), Andrew Riungu – Manager Consumer Insights and Research, Magunga Williams – Blogger and Online Bookstore Owner and Muthoni Maingi – Digital Manager, Consumer and Enterprise Business Unit, Safaricom, take to the stage to explain the idea behind the Safaricom BLAZE.
“BLAZE Kenya is a platform that is geared towards empowering young people and is primarily based on three principles; Friendship, Success and Freedom.”
The program will provide youths with access to a selection of mentors succeeding in unconventional fields, with the aim of empowering them with the knowledge and understanding of what it takes to succeed in those professions. It doesn’t matter whether you want to be a musician or a professional dancer. BLAZE cuts across all professions.
The program will incorporate TV Shows, Summits and Boot camps to expose youths to resources that will enable them be their own bosses.
From the event, it was very clear that Safaricom BLAZE was not just a tariff but a more powerful platform to empower the youths.
There is a funny trend in Kenya whereby the term “youth” refers to anyone under the age of 50 years as long as they have that youthful look. BLAZE is very strict on age and anyone above 26 years will not be allowed to board the “BLAZE Train”. In general, BLAZE is a very good product and the fact that it is giving every rightful youth an opportunity makes it all good.
How It Works
One good thing about BLAZE is that it is very easy to set up. All you need to do is dial *555# on your mobile and follow the prompt instructions to setting up your account. After subscribing, go to blaze.co.ke and select your preferred subscription plan. There are three main plans that you can choose to limit how much you spend over specific time.
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