The Airtel Africa Foundation has launched the Airtel Africa Fellowship Program for undergraduate students at IIT Madras Zanzibar. The Fellowship aims to support deserving students from diverse socio-economic backgrounds enrolled in the Bachelor of Science in Data Science and AI at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM) in Zanzibar.
Starting with an outlay of USD 500,000, this program will benefit 10 undergraduate students, for their entire course duration of 4 years. Recipients of this scholarship will be known as Airtel Africa Fellows and will receive 100% of their college fees. Additionally, to cover the living expense cost, Ksh. 64,460 (USD 500) will be given to all eligible students.
Since its inception earlier this year, the Airtel Africa Foundation is dedicated to advancing digital and financial inclusion across Africa with key focus on education and environmental protection. This Fellowship is the maiden initiative undertaken to enhance educational opportunities for meritorious students, especially from disadvantaged backgrounds, enrolled at IIT Madras Zanzibar. It is designed to support students from 14 African countries; Kenya, Nigeria, Malawi, Uganda, Zambia, Tanzania, Rwanda, DRC, Niger, Chad, Congo B, Gabon, Madagascar and Seychelles.
Commenting on the fellowship scheme, Zanzibar’s Minister of Education and Vocational Training, H.E. Ms. Lela Mohamed Mussa said, “IITM Zanzibar is charting a wonderful path in technical education in the region. Providing access to this high-quality education to students from Tanzania and the rest of the continent, who are topping the IITM Zanzibar screening and test processes, through financial assistance, is an important priority for us. We are thankful for this support from Airtel Africa Foundation, which will enhance our own efforts in this direction.”
The Chairman of the Airtel Africa Foundation, Dr. Olusegun Ogunsanya said, “We are pleased to partner with IIT Madras Zanzibar to provide opportunities for young Africans to access quality education. This initiative aims to contribute towards creating a prosperous and sustainable continent. We look forward to creating even more opportunities not just in education, but also in financial and digital inclusion, and environmental protection.”