Airtel Nigeria has through Airtel Africa Foundation, launched its Undergraduate Tech Scholarship Programme to support 100 Nigerian undergraduates pursuing studies in information and communication technology-related fields.
The Chairman of Airtel Africa, Dr Segun Ogunsanya, told a world press conference in Lagos that the initiative will cover tuition, accommodation, study materials, and a stipend from the first year to the final year of study.
According to the statement released on Thursday in Lagos, the programme is designed to eliminate financial barriers and enable students to focus on academic and technical achievement.
The statement stated that the eligible courses include Computer Science, Information Technology, Data Science, Software Engineering, Cybersecurity, Artificial Intelligence, and other ICT disciplines.
It explained that the 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.
According to Dr Ogunsanya, the scholarships reflect the Foundation’s long-standing commitment to supporting young Africans.
“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,” he stated.
In his remarks, the Chief Executive Officer of Airtel Nigeria, Mr Dinesh Balsingh, stated that the initiative reinforces the company’s commitment to education as a key pillar of its social investments.
“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,” he said.
The undergraduate scholarship is aligned with the Foundation’s four strategic pillars of financial inclusion, education, environmental protection, and digital inclusion.
GIK/APA