Vodacom to deploy Google Cloud AI and data tools to develop new services across Africa

Details: Manny Pham; Category: Operators; 25 November 2025; 12857 views

Vodacom Group has expanded its partnership with Google Cloud, adopting the company’s data analytics and generative AI technologies to build new digital services tailored for African consumers and enterprises.

Under the agreement, Google Cloud will consolidate and modernise Vodacom’s distributed data assets using its data cloud platform, including BigQuery. Vodacom said the move will create a unified data layer to support real-time insights, strengthen governance and provide a single source of truth for business decision-making.

Google Cloud will then deploy a suite of AI models across Vodacom’s operations, including Gemini, the Veo text-to-video model and the Imagen text-to-image tool. Vodacom plans to apply these capabilities to streamline internal processes, enhance customer engagement and accelerate product development.

The collaboration is structured around three main workstreams. The first centres on data modernisation and unification, establishing a cloud-based structure to support analytics at scale. The second focuses on expanding AI adoption within Vodacom’s networks and customer channels, including using Google’s AI models to improve network efficiency and automate service delivery.

The third workstream aims to co-create new digital services for African markets. Initial joint efforts will target financial inclusion through new fintech products, improved enterprise digital solutions, and consumer-facing services aimed at enhancing access to content and education.

Vodacom Group CEO Shameel Joosub said the partnership is critical to delivering solutions that reflect “the unique challenges and opportunities of the continent” and ensuring that AI tools reach millions of users and small businesses.

Maureen Costello, VP for UKI and Sub-Saharan Africa at Google Cloud, said providing Vodacom with advanced generative AI models and data infrastructure will support the operator’s ambitions to expand digital access and build locally relevant services.