Uganda: Airtel will connect 100 public schools to e-learning platforms in partnership with UNICEF
March 22nd 2023
In 2021, UNICEF signed a partnership agreement with Airtel Africa as part of a project to improve digital learning in Africa and around the world. The telecom company has agreed to invest $57 million in 13 African countries.
Telecom operator Airtel Uganda has launched a five-year partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to accelerate digital learning in Uganda. The two partners will connect 100 public primary and secondary schools in marginalized communities to high-speed internet and learning platforms.
This initiative is in line with the partnership signed in November 2021 between Airtel Africa and UNICEF to collaborate on the “Reimagine Education” project in thirteen markets of the telecom operator. The partnership has already been launched in Nigeria where it will connect 620 primary schools to digital learning platforms. The other African countries concerned are Chad, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Niger, Rwanda, Tanzania and Zambia.
The partnership with UNICEF can also be part of the “Our Community” pillar of Airtel Africa’s sustainable development strategy unveiled in October 2021. The company prioritizes access to education on the continent. This explains why she agreed to invest 57 million USD in the “Reimagine Education” initiative.
Through this project, the UN agency is working for public and private sector investment in digital learning as an essential service for every child and young person around the world. In Uganda, some 200,000 in-school and out-of-school learners are targeted.
“ The existing digital divide deprives the most marginalized children of equal access to education. It leaves children, especially girls from poorer households and rural communities, further behind with little chance of catching up with their peers in urban Uganda,” said Patrick Mutombo, Chief Technology Officer for UNICEF Development.
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