Airtel Africa and UNICEF have restated their commitment to improving access to quality education in Africa by leveraging digital learning.
During a visit to Kitende Secondary School in Uganda, the Group CEO of Airtel Africa, Segun Ogunsanya, emphasized the importance of education to the continent and pledged to continue supporting the joint efforts of the government and UNICEF to transform the way African children learn.
The partnership aims to reach 54,000 students with USSD/SMS based content optimized for mobile, and has already been implemented in over 100 secondary schools with computer labs and 15 youth-friendly ICT centers in refugee settlements. The $57m partnership, launched in 2021, seeks to connect schools to the internet and provide free access to learning platforms in Uganda and other Airtel-operating countries.
According to Ogunsanya, Airtel Africa recognizes the significant contribution of education to nations on the continent and is therefore taking deliberate steps to promote education and empower the people.
“Airtel Africa will continue to support the shared efforts of the Government of Uganda and Africa, by identifying and collaborating with strategic partners like UNICEF to transform the way our children learn. We commit to do this in Uganda and across the 13 other countries where Airtel Africa operates,” Ogunsanya pledged.
Ogunsanya praised the Ugandan government for its strong commitment to digitizing education and acknowledged the crucial role that UNICEF plays in supporting children in Africa. He urged the students to make the most of the resources available through the partnership between Airtel Africa and UNICEF to advance their academic goals and achieve their life aspirations.
UNICEF Representative to Uganda, Dr. Munir Safieldin, said through the Kolibri digital learning platform, the partnership will reach 54,000 students with USSD/SMS based content optimized for mobile. Currently, Kolibri is available in over 100 secondary schools with computer labs and 15 youth-friendly ICT centers in refugee settlements.
“An estimated 16,000 learners and 350 teachers in secondary schools have interacted with the Kolibri initiative. More than 1,080 adolescents and 200 trained volunteers are involved in the out of school Kolibri initiative implementation. To-date over 7,500 registered users with over 200,000 content interactions”, said Dr. Safieldin.
In 2021, Airtel Africa and UNICEF initiated a $57 million 5-year partnership aimed at facilitating the spread of digital learning for children in Uganda and other Airtel-operating countries by linking schools to the internet and offering free access to learning platforms, with the goal of enabling every child to achieve their full potential.
Airtel Malawi is also in the final stages of preparing for a similar project and will soon be launching its first set of schools with internet connectivity.
