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Empowering one million Rwandans through our transformational smartphone programme
Digital inclusion is at the heart of our sustainability strategy and is one of the most powerful levers we have to transform lives and support the communities and economies in which we work.
To drive digital inclusion, we need to make digital services more accessible – both through the expansion of our 4G and 5G networks, and through encouraging the availability and use of smartphones across our 14 markets. We also need to ensure owning and using a smartphone is affordable – which is why we work with manufacturers and handset financing companies on programmes that bring smartphones within reach of customers, and make sure our own data products are consistently good value.
These themes have come together this year in an extraordinary programme in Rwanda, where in October 2023 we partnered with the Rwandan government to launch the ConnectRwanda 2.0 initiative. The programme aims to accelerate Rwanda’s digital capability by providing more than a million people in the country with high-speed, cutting-edge LTE smartphones by the end of 2024 – supported by a generous contribution by Reed Hastings, the co-founder and Chairman of Netflix.
The affordable smartphones, distributed with Airtel Africa SIM cards and tailored data packages, will be available at a price of 20,000 Rwandan francs ($16.5), with a monthly fee of 1,000 Rwandan francs ($0.8). In addition to the smartphone, subscribers will also enjoy 1GB of data daily and unlimited calls to any network in Rwanda. The initiative is already having a transformational impact. Since launch, smartphone penetration in Rwanda has increased from 21% to 34%, and we intend that the benefits will cross generations, as the initiative joins up with the work we’re doing in Rwanda with the government and UNICEF to support teachers and schools.
Empowering one million Rwandans through our transformational smartphone programme
In March 2024, Airtel Tanzania has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Tanzanian Government to launch the Airtel SmartWasomi schools’ connectivity project. This project aims to break down barriers hindering children’s access to quality education. We are committed to ensure that every child’s right to education is fulfilled, with a vision to revolutionise education through Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
Dinesh Balsingh, Managing Director of Airtel Tanzania, highlighted our mission to modernise classrooms by equipping them with Smart TVs and routers while providing high-speed internet connectivity. This initiative will empower teachers to deliver engaging lessons and enhance the learning experience for students. Prof. Carolyne Nombo, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, emphasised the potential of Airtel SmartWasomi to ignite students’ passion for learning – and, particularly, in schools grappling with resource deficiencies.
This project will bring digital content and advanced teaching tools to approximately 3,000 government schools over the next five years.
Empowering women at Airtel Nigeria
Our commitment to empowering women is exemplified by the Airtel Nigeria’s women network, a pioneering initiative designed to provide women with the support to realise their full potential. Airtel Nigeria’s women network builds an encouraging and enriching environment for women through regular engagements and mentorship programmes. Quarterly sessions provide a vibrant platform for the members to collaborate, contribute to the company’s culture and support each other. And the launch of executive roundtable discussions in 2023 introduced the members to aspirational industry leaders, supporting professional growth.
In July 2023, this holistic approach to empowerment has earned Airtel Nigeria’s women network the International Finance Corporation (IFC) award for outstanding initiatives in female empowerment and leadership. We continue to develop a supportive and inclusive environment as women’s success is integral to our corporate culture.
Fostering a holistic work environment in Zambia
In response to the growing prevalence of mental health conditions, particularly with over 116 million people in Africa affected even before the Covid-19 pandemic, we recognise the need to address this issue through proactive measures.
Airtel Zambia rolled out a wellness programme “A better, healthier me” with the aim to foster a healthier and more dynamic work environment. This initiative empowers employees to actively manage their wellbeing both at work and in their personal lives, enhancing the overall employee experience and increasing productivity by minimising physical and mental health issues.
The eight-week programme is structured around social, financial, environmental, intellectual, physical, spiritual, occupational, emotional and mental wellbeing pillars and it has already yielded positive outcomes for Airtel Zambia. These include a notable reduction in employee hospital visits, an increase in a sense of professional wellbeing and job satisfaction reducing the chances of attrition. Recognising that engaged employees yield more impactful results, the programme aims to create an enjoyable work environment.
This initiative, which is now a permanent feature, has proven instrumental in cultivating teamwork among employees, emphasising its pivotal role in fostering a united and supportive workplace community.
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‘Best Company in Education Intervention’ award 2022
Airtel Nigeria was awarded the best company in education prize at the SERAs AFRICA awards ceremony in December 2022. We’re truly honoured for this recognition and remain committed to championing access to quality education in Nigeria.
Launching Airtel Women Network in Nigeria
In March 2023, we launched a programme called ‘Airtel Women’s Network’ to encourage women to play an active role in technology and empower them to become global leaders. Through this platform, we support Airtel Africa women through mentorship and networking – to be able to pitch ideas, access the resources and participate in key technology projects. This initiative is aligned with our commitment to increase gender diversity, and financial and digital inclusion in Africa.
Celebrating International Women’s Day across Africa
We celebrated International Women’s Day in March 2023 for the third consecutive year, supporting equality, diversity and inclusion-related initiatives and campaigns across our 14 markets. We adopted the UN Women’s theme for this year: ‘DigitALL: innovation and technology for gender equality’. Employees took part in talks, debates and activities to recognise our growing female workforce across the Group and to consider some of the barriers and challenges facing women in the workplace.
We also held a Group-wide town hall led by our CEO to recognise the contribution of women at Airtel Africa and to the wider community.
Airtel Seychelles awarded top certificate for data centre design
In October 2022, following a robust assessment, Airtel Seychelles’ data centre was awarded EPI Conformance’s T3 Certificate for its architecture, telecom, electrical and mechanical facilities
Airtel Africa scores top position in FBNI competition
In the three months to December 2022, Facebook Networks ranked Airtel Africa as having the best user experience (based on 3G and 4G weighted average download speeds) in 13 of our 14 markets. This ranking is updated on a quarterly basis by our network insight partner, Meta portal. This means that our customers enjoy the fastest download and streaming speeds in those markets.
Airtel Zambia receives TechTrend Zambia Awards 2022: #TTZAwards22
In March 2023, Airtel Zambia received the TechTrend Zambia award under the category ‘Best Mobile Service (calls and SMS)’. This award recognises Airtel Zambia’s achievement in offering best calling and messaging services with a particular focus on quality and reliability of our network coverage, fast data speeds, affordability and excellent customer service
Airtel Kenya: accelerating our ‘Adopt a school’ programme
Fair access to education should be available to the most vulnerable in society – and in November 2022, Airtel Kenya worked with the Kenya Directorate of Children Services (DCS) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on an initiative supporting adolescents who have transitioned from rehabilitation schools to continue their secondary education and reintegrate into society.
In partnership with two high schools in Eldoret, Kenya, this ‘Adopt a school’ initiative will see 21 adolescents benefit from the programme. Airtel Kenya will cover the students’ school fees and other education-related expenses over three years, while also supporting one of the schools with connectivity for its IT hub.
Airtel Nigeria encourages a reading culture in adopted schools
To mark World Book Day 2022, in April our people at Airtel Nigeria took time off work to visit their six adopted schools, where they hosted interactive reading sessions with pupils and made a call for them to embrace a reading culture. The week-long activities, under the employee volunteer scheme, included visits to the schools in Lagos, Ogun, Kaduna, Cross River, Imo and Kwara states. We also donated 7,434 books to 3,717 pupils.
These reading sessions, just like our programme to connect 300,000 pupils in 620 schools to the internet and give them free access to digital learning content under our landmark partnership with UNICEF, continues Airtel Nigeria’s continuous support to schools in Nigeria.
Airtel Tanzania partners with DTBi to host African Code Challenge
In November 2022, Airtel Tanzania partnered with Dar Tekhohama Business Incubator (DTBi) to host African Code Challenge for pupils and students in Dar es Salaam. The African Code Challenge is aimed at improving digital literacy and coding skills for young students. Strong partnerships with the public, private and non-profit sectors are the driving force behind the initiative’s sustainable learning impact in support of UN SDGs.
The African Code Challenge, supported by SAP of Ireland and Irish Aid, acts as a catalyser for young people to change the world with their superpowers in coding skills, allowing them to understand computers at an early stage and have a logical approach to learning and problem solving. The theme was ‘Protecting life together’, and the children had to code a sustainable solution to an environmental issue in their community.
Media Contact
Emeka Oparah
Vice President – Corporate Communications and CSR, Airtel Africa
Email: emeka.oparah@africa.airtel.com
Hudson Sandler LLP
Email: airtelafrica@hudsonsandler.com
