Airtel and UNICEF commit to connecting 3,000 schools in Tanzania
June 4th 2024
Telecoms company Airtel Tanzania and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have committed to connecting 3,000 secondary schools to high-speed internet across Tanzania. Called Airtel SmartWASOMI, the initiative was officially launched on Friday, May 31. It was National Education, Skills and Innovation Week.
Airtel plans to start with 1,000 schools in 2024 before expanding the initiative to the rest of the schools. Each connected establishment will receive 1,200 gigabytes per year to allow students and teachers to access online resources. The project is expected to cost Airtel around $50.3 million over the five years of implementation. UNICEF acts as a capacity building partner.
This initiative is part of the “Reimagine Education” project on which UNICEF and Airtel Africa agreed to collaborate in November 2021. The project covers thirteen Airtel African markets: Chad, Congo, Democratic Republic Congo, Gabon, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. The African branch of the Indian telecoms group Bharti Airtel has committed to investing $57 million in this initiative .
“By providing equal access to quality digital learning, especially for the most vulnerable children, we underline our commitment to helping African children reach their full potential. We are deeply grateful to the Government of Tanzania for their collaboration and leadership, and to UNICEF for being a valuable partner in pursuing this noble initiative,” said Sunil Taldar, Chairman and CEO of Airtel Africa Group.
Source: Agency EcoFin
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