Airtel Africa, a leading telecommunications and mobile money services provider, has announced its commitment to enhance digital and technology skills training for 25,000 youth across 80 local government areas in Nigeria. This initiative is part of the ambitious Three Million Technical Talents program, which focuses on training under a presidential mandate.
In addition, Airtel Africa revealed it will offer ten scholarships for Nigerian students pursuing technology-oriented courses at Plaksha University in India, facilitated by the Airtel Africa Fellowship. This initiative, driven by the Airtel Africa Foundation, aims to equip young Nigerians with essential digital and innovative skills.
The announcement was made during a meeting between Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Airtel’s Chairman, Sunil Bharti Mittal, alongside CEO Sunil Taldar. Mittal emphasised Nigeria’s importance as a strategic market for Airtel Africa and reaffirmed the company’s commitment to supporting the country’s digital transformation agenda.
Mittal also spoke about the Airtel-UNICEF Reimagine Education Programme, which has successfully integrated digital learning platforms like the Nigerian Learning Passport (NLP) into 1,260 schools, reaching over 600,000 students.
Recognising the recent classification of telecom infrastructure as Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII), Airtel Africa underlined its ongoing mission to promote financial inclusion in Nigeria through its subsidiary, SmartCash PSB.
Taldar reiterated the company’s dedication to bolstering Nigeria’s digital economy: “Airtel is firmly invested in Nigeria’s digital future. We are expanding our network, enhancing financial inclusion, and creating opportunities for the people of Nigeria through technology and innovation.”