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.
This 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 Ogunsaya, 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 International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
Mr. Antoine Sebera,
CEO of Rwanda Information Society Authority (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.
