Airtel Africa Foundation has partnered on a Joint Initiative with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Rwanda Information Society Authority (RISA) and Cisco on capacity and digital skills development, under the Digital Transformation Centres (DTC) Initiative.
The partnership aims to bridge the digital divide and promote digital inclusion by providing free
Internet connectivity and digital skills training to underserved communities in Rwanda, in connection
with the advancement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
ITU will provide digital skills training content to the DTCs under the Initiative along with other ITU
regional capacity development activities. In addition, ITU will facilitate networking opportunities
related to promoting digital literacy and inclusion, which will enable access to expertise and best
practices.
Speaking to the press, Mr. Sujay Chakrabarti, Airtel Rwanda Managing Director said: “Today’s
partnership between the Airtel Africa Foundation, ITU, RISA, and Cisco marks a significant step
forward in bridging the digital divide and empowering Rwandan youth with digital skills. This
partnership is a powerful example of what happens when government, private sector, and
international organizations come together to empower communities”.
The Airtel Africa Foundation, through Airtel Rwanda, will equip DTC locations with routers, Wi-Fi and
data packages at no cost, ensuring the effective rollout of training and access to digital educational
platforms.
The landmark partnership aligns with Rwanda’s ambition to become a knowledge-based economy
and complements national programmes such as ‘Connect Rwanda’ that promote access to
smartphones and digital services for underserved communities.
“This partnership reflects our commitment to supporting national development goals and closing the
digital divide through meaningful collaboration,” said Ms. Esi Asare Prah, Head of Programs at Airtel
Africa Foundation on behalf of Dr Segun Ogunsanya, Chair of the Airtel Africa Foundation. “We are
honoured to partner with ITU to bring this vision to life and contribute to Rwanda’s journey toward
becoming a digitally empowered society” she added.
“Our partnership with Airtel Africa Foundation begins in Rwanda, where we are joining forces to
strengthen digital skills in underserved communities to advance connectivity. This initiative lays the
groundwork for broader regional collaboration, as we aim to expand this work to other Digital
Transformation Centres across Africa,’’ said Dr Emmanuel Mannaseh, Regional Director for ITU.
Mr. Antoine Sebera, CEO of RISA said: “What we are seeing
here today is partnership in action. Statistics show that 900 million people in Africa remain
unconnected, extra effort needs to be made to make sure that no one is left behind. This positions
Rwanda a step ahead by being intentional to involve the youth. These centres are going to play a
transformative role in educating the youth to leverage AI. Digital Transformation is driving the world
and Africa or Rwanda can not be left behind.
