Airtel Africa, UNICEF partner to increase digital learning
Airtel Africa and UNICEF have announced a five-year pan-African partnership to help accelerate the roll-out of digital learning through connecting schools to the internet and ensuring free access to learning platforms across 13 countries. This is by providing equal access to quality digital learning, particularly for the most vulnerable children, a statement by UNICEF said. According to it, the partnership will help ensure that every child reaches their full potential.
Supreme reports that Airtel Nigeria and UNICEF Nigeria are longstanding partners. Under this new initiative, they intend to help connect schools in Lagos and Kano to the internet, to enable children to learn digitally. This pilot initiative is expected to benefit over 10,000 school children in the two states. Airtel Africa, a leading provider of telecommunications and mobile money services in Africa, is the first African private sector partner to make a multimillion-dollar commitment to 'Reimagine Education', a global initiative launched by UNICEF in 2020.
The initiative calls for public and private sector investment in digital learning as an essential service for every child and young person across the globe. This initiative aims to give children a chance to catch up on their learning needs amid the ongoing global pandemic. The Executive Director of UNICEF, Henrietta Fore, said that hundreds of millions of children in Africa have seen their education disrupted or put on hold because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Fore said by championing digital education for children in Africa, the partnership with Airtel Africa would help put children's learning back on track.
Also, Peter Hawkins, UNICEF Nigeria Representative, said that digital learning is the gateway to equipping young people with the right skills. Skills that would support them to transition from learning to earning. Hawkins said they are delighted that Airtel Nigeria shares in this vision, and is helping to drive the process of scaling up internet connectivity for school children in Nigeria. Airtel Africa's financial and in-kind contribution for this partnership is $57 million over five years to 2027.
The programme would call on technology and expertise, in addition to direct financial support to connect schools and communities to the internet, enable free access to online educational content for learners. It will also provide vital data insights to inform UNICEF's work to scale-up digital learning and help ensure it is sustainable and meets students' needs across Africa.
Contributing, Olusegun Ogunsanya, the CEO of Airtel Africa, said they as a business have focused on education as a key area of corporate social responsibility. And they are delighted that the partnership with UNICEF would enable them to accelerate results. It also coincides with the launch of new sustainability strategy, which lays out commitment to education. Ogunsanya said they are excited to be working with UNICEF to advance the education agenda on the continent through facilitating connectivity and online access to play a role in driving change.
