Airtel Africa Foundation, in partnership with Airtel Nigeria, has introduced the Undergraduate Tech Scholarship Programme to provide support for 100 Nigerian students enrolled in ICT-related degree programmes.
This disclosure was made in a statement on Thursday following remarks by Dr Segun Ogunsanya, Chairman of Airtel Africa, at a world press conference held recently in Lagos.
The initiative will cover tuition, accommodation, study materials, and a stipend from the first year to the final year of study. The programme is designed to eliminate financial barriers and enable students to focus on academic and technical achievement.
According to the Foundation, eligible courses include Computer Science, Information Technology, Data Science, Software Engineering, Cybersecurity, Artificial Intelligence, and other ICT disciplines. Beneficiaries are drawn from 100-level students enrolled in approved programmes in public universities, including the University of Lagos, the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Ahmadu Bello University, the University of Benin, Obafemi Awolowo University, the University of Ilorin, and Tai Solarin University of Education.
Dr Ogunsanya said the scholarships reflect the Foundation’s long-standing commitment to supporting young Africans. He said, “At Airtel Africa Foundation, our vision has always been to create opportunities where talent meets ambition. With this scholarship, we are investing in Nigeria’s future tech leaders, giving them the resources and confidence to thrive in an increasingly digital world.”
Mr Dinesh Balsingh, Chief Executive Officer of Airtel Nigeria, said the initiative reinforces the company’s commitment to education as a key pillar of its social investments.
He said, “The prioritisation of education as a pillar of our social investments becomes much stronger with these 100 new scholarships. They build on such other initiatives as our partnership with UNICEF on the Reimagine Education Programme, our Adopt-A-School project, and our N1 billion investment in the Three Million Technical Talent effort of the Federal Government. Ultimately, for us as an organisation, the best way to equip the future is to arm it with cutting-edge education.”
The undergraduate scholarship is aligned with the Foundation’s four strategic pillars of financial inclusion, education, environmental protection, and digital inclusion.
