Airtel Africa’s Chief Executive Officer, Sunil Taldar, has announced that the telecommunications company is committed to connecting 5,000 schools across Africa to the internet by 2027, through its philanthropic arm, the Airtel Africa Foundation, in partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
The $57 million partnership, launched in 2021, has so far cumulatively connected 3,296 schools, providing internet access to over 2 million learners and about 40,000 teachers across the continent. The initiative has also zero-rated 64 digital learning platforms, enabling more than 11 million users to access educational content at no cost.
Taldar made the announcement during a visit to St. Monica’s Girls School in Lusaka, one of 300 schools already connected to the internet in Zambia under the initiative. He said the programme is having a significant impact on the quality of education by expanding access to digital learning resources for African children, in collaboration with national governments.
“Students are accessing best-in-class education from the curriculum developed by UNICEF in partnership with various Ministries of Education and provided through Airtel’s connectivity. We are also training teachers, so that they deliver digital education effectively. We aim to continue deepening meaningful connectivity in schools by providing free internet access, zero-rated platforms and training teachers across the continent,” Taldar said.
The Headmistress of St. Monica’s Girls’ School, Matilda Soloko, welcomed the initiative’s impact on her students. “Being among the first schools connected in the initial stage, our learners have been able to study using the learning portal and their studies have been intensified. We remain grateful to Airtel and UNICEF,” she said.
UNICEF’s Country Representative for Zambia, Dr Saja Farooq Abdullah, said the partnership was helping to close educational disparities. “What this partnership has brought is really bridging the equality gap and the digital divide. It is making sure that every child learns wherever they are,” she said.
The Airtel Africa Foundation’s partnership with UNICEF forms part of a broader push by the telecommunications company to expand digital access across its African markets, with school connectivity identified as a key lever for improving learning outcomes on the continent.
