Airtel Africa pumps $500,000 into fellowship scheme to boost education in Africa

Business a.m.

Airtel Africa, through its charitable foundation, the Airtel Africa Foundation, has allocated $500,000 as the initial funding for the recently unveiled Airtel Africa Fellowship Programme.

The Airtel Africa Fellowship Programme is designed to benefit 10 undergraduate students from 14 African countries, namely Nigeria, Kenya, Malawi, Uganda, Zambia, Tanzania, Rwanda, DRC, Niger, Chad, Congo Brazzaville, Gabon, Madagascar, and Seychelles, for the entirety of their four-year course duration.

The  initiative aims to provide financial support to the outstanding students enrolled in the Bachelor of Science in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence programme at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM) in Zanzibar.

According to the organisation, the recipients of the scholarship will be referred to as ‘Airtel Africa Fellows’. The students will enjoy a comprehensive scholarship that covers the entirety of their 4-year programme fees, including $12,000 annually, according to the course fee structure of the Institute, and a monthly stipend of $500 for living expenses.

The Airtel Africa Fellowship programme aspires to be a transformative force, shaping the lives and careers of its fellows and nurturing future leaders who will pioneer technological innovation and drive economic progress across Africa.

Lela Mohamed Mussa, Zanzibar’s minister of education and vocational training, expressed his enthusiasm for the fellowship scheme, stating that IITM Zanzibar is paving a path in technical education for the region.

“Providing access to this high quality education to students from Tanzania and the rest of the continent, who are topping the IITM Zanzibar screening and test processes, through financial assistance, is an important priority for us. We are thankful to this support from Airtel Africa Foundation, which will enhance our own efforts in this direction,” he added.

Speaking on the partnership, Olusegun Ogunsanya, chairman of the Airtel Africa Foundation, expressed the Foundation’s excitement to collaborate with IIT Madras Zanzibar in the shared mission to provide young Africans with the chance to receive quality education.

“This initiative aims to contribute towards creating a prosperous and sustainable continent. We look forward to creating even more opportunities not just in education, but also in financial and digital inclusion, and environmental protection,” Ogunsanya remarked.